Is the hadith: "The black dog at night is a devil" authentic, and what is its meaning?

The Hadith "The black dog is a devil at night" has not been found; rather, what is reported in Sahih Muslim is "The black dog is a devil." Scholars have differed concerning its meaning: some interpreted it literally, meaning that a jinn devil takes its form, while others interpreted it metaphorically, because it is more harmful and rebellious. Some scholars favored the interpretation that it means a "devil among dogs," i.e., the most wicked of them, and not a jinn devil. Others, however, went on to say that the devil might take the form of a black dog or a black cat because blackness gathers the demonic forces.