Harrison Sadler from Ghost Beach plans to trap the ghost kids in a sacred cave. He also has a German Shepard hanging around. This is because he was planning to use it as bait, since the ghosts hate dogs and kill any they can catch. Most of the dog skeletons in the woods were probably from previous failed attempts. Then he meets Jerry and Terry and figures it'd be easier to lure the ghosts with someone they could trust.
For the ghosts, it isn’t enough simply to kill a dog that barks at them; they also feel the need to pick the flesh clean off its bones. Is this what they did to their own dogs during their last winter when they were starving and struggling to stay alive?
That would also explain why Brad and Agatha seem so comfortable with cooking and eating a dog.
