Grim Yard

The church grim is an animal guardian, usually a dog, that would be burried alive in a graveyard// churchyard. The first person to be buried at a new Yard was tasked with eternally protecting the building and gounds from evil. To make sure no human suffered the job, the dogs where chosen to take that mantle of pride in protecting all that who are buried there. The grim spirit in English and Nordic folklore, oversees the welfare of churches, and protects the churchyard from those who would profane and commit sacrilege against it. It often appears as a black dog but is known to take the form of other animals. In modern times, when black dogs are kept as pets in churches and their attached parsonages, these are called church Grims since they reside on and guard ecclesiastical property.