Legend of the Dog Man

Werewolves, they’re not just for Halloween anymore!

From MLive Kalamazoo - is this the Michiganders’ version of the War of the Worlds?

KALAMAZOO – Some say they’ve seen a “dog man” stalking the woods of Michigan.

And this man-sized, two-legged, upright-walking canine reportedly has been sighted as nearby as Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids, according to author and researcher of the weird Linda Godfrey.

Fact or just fiction?

[...]  Godfrey admitted she has never seen Dog Man, which it is commonly called in Michigan, but said she receives many reports from those who have — reports from all over the world.

“I don’t know the exact percentage” of sightings in Michigan, she said, “but there are quite a few … and they occur mostly in the Lower Peninsula from the Indian River area (an upscale community northeast of Traverse City). … And about halfway between Traverse City and Grand Rapids is another area of multiple sightings, and then down by Kalamazoo.”

[...]  Godfrey believes it’s possible the creature could be a species of wolf that’s simply adapted over time to be able to walk on its hind legs when it wants to. What she doesn’t think is that it’s an actual werewolf.

“I do not think it’s what people consider a traditional werewolf, a human being changing physically into a wolf,” she said. “(But) I refuse to put a label on it because once you decide it’s one thing you close the door on investigations — you may as well just quit.”

Or… your could just check out the Dog Man’s own website where one can find these interesting tidbits:

“The Legend” began in 1987 when WTCM radio morning personality Jack O’Malley wanted to play an April Fool’s prank on his listeners. He sat down to brainstorm with WTCM production director Steve Cook, who said he might have something.

Cook created a mythical half-man, half-dog, and wrote a poem about appearances of the creature. He placed the events in Northern Michigan towns, and gave the Dog Man a mysterious chronological nature. Each sighting occurs in the seventh year of the decade. The poem evenutally became a song, “The Legend.” 

The legend lives on.  The most recent sighting of the Dog Man was reported near Fife Lake, Michigan in April of this year.  Not interested in travelling to Michigan (or Wisconsin, where sightings have also been reported) to see the Dog Man?  Well, you can get a Dog Man CD or buy one of several ”I Saw The Dog Man” t-shirts on line — you can even follow the Dog Man on Twitter.

I wonder where he’ll be tonight…

About these ads