David Ross, one of ‘The Men’ of the Parish of Ferintosh, was travelling home by horse and cart with his wife one night when the horse suddenly became restless. At first, he saw nothing more than a ‘little black dog’, but the animal began to grow in size, becoming increasingly menacing and ferocious until David was overcome with fear. In desperation, he cried out words of scripture, causing the monstrous figure to burst into flames. Shooting stars then blazed across the sky, falling beyond Ben Wyvis.

Rather than depicting the dog as a manifestation of the devil, I have chosen to reinterpret it as a luminous spirit guide. This transformation shifts the narrative away from fear and the supernatural threat towards a sense of revelation, spiritual awakening, and enlightenment. In this original, the dog is golden.