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{{Short description|Alleged creature in Wexford County, Michigan}} |
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{{Infobox mythical creature |
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|name = Michigan Dogman |
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|AKA = Michigan Werewolf |
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|image = |
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|caption = |
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|Folklore = [[Cryptid]] |
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|Grouping = |
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|Country = United States |
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|Region = Michigan |
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|Details = |
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|First_Attested = 1887 |
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}} |
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{{Paranormal}} |
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| ⚫ | In [[folklore]], the '''Michigan Dogman''' was a creature allegedly witnessed in 1887 in [[Wexford County, Michigan]], United States. It was described as a seven-foot tall, blue-eyed, or amber-eyed [[Werewolf|bipedal canine-like animal with the torso of a man]] and a fearsome howl that sounds like a human scream. According to legends, the Michigan Dogman appears in a ten-year cycle that falls on years ending in 7.<ref name=SWtD>{{Skeptoid|id=4477|number=477|date=28 July 2015|last=Hudson|first=Alison|title=Wag the Dogman|accessdate=22 June 2017}}</ref> Sightings have been reported in several locations throughout [[Michigan]], primarily in the northwestern quadrant of the [[Lower Peninsula of Michigan|Lower Peninsula]]. |
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Many believers in the Dogman claim that simply clapping will scare them away. |
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The first known encounter of the Michigan Dogman occurred in 1887 in [[Wexford County, Michigan|Wexford County]], when two [[lumberjack]]s saw a creature which they described as having a man's body and a dog's head.<ref>{{cite book |title=Traveling Michigan's Sunset Coast |last=Royce |first=Julie Albrecht |year=2007 |publisher=Dog Ear Publishing |isbn=1-59858-321-2 |pages=419–420 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=hMLjOnGC_pAC&pg=PA420&dq=michigan+%22dogman%22&hl=en&ei=l7a3TMeVKNT_nQeJtKnxCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CDsQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=michigan%20%22dogman%22&f=false |accessdate=14 October 2010}}</ref> It has also been spotted many times in the [[Upper Peninsula of Michigan|Upper Peninsula]] by locals. Horses that had died of fright were found nearby, surrounded by dog tracks. <ref name=SWtD/> |
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The first alleged encounter of the Michigan Dogman occurred in 1887 in [[Wexford County, Michigan|Wexford County]], when two [[lumberjack]]s saw a creature which they described as having a man's body and a dog's head.<ref>{{cite book |title=Traveling Michigan's Sunset Coast |last=Royce |first=Julie Albrecht |year=2007 |publisher=Dog Ear Publishing |isbn=978-1-59858-321-2 |pages=419–420 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hMLjOnGC_pAC&q=michigan+%22dogman%22&pg=PA420 |accessdate=14 October 2010}}</ref> |
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In 1937 in Paris, Michigan, Robert Fortney was attacked by five wild dogs and said that one of the five walked on two legs.<ref name="Book">{{cite book |last1=Godfrey |first1=Linda S. |title=The Beast of Bray Road: Tailing Wisconsin's Werewolf |date=2003 |publisher=Prairie Oak Press |location=Black Earth, Wisconsin |isbn=97-81879483910|pages=60–63}}</ref> Reports of similar creatures also came from [[Allegan County, Michigan|Allegan County]] in the 1950s, and in [[Manistee, Michigan|Manistee]] and [[Cross Village, Michigan|Cross Village]] in 1967.<ref>{{cite book |title=Hidden Animals: A Field Guide to Batsquatch, Chupacabra, and Other Elusive Creatures |last=Newton |first=Michael Albrecht |year=2009 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-0-313-35906-4 |page=149 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=pcC6NW_NCK4C&q=michigan+dogman&pg=PA149 |accessdate=14 October 2010}}</ref> |
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==Scientific Explanation== |
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One possible explanation for the sightings is that the animal called "dogman" is an unrecognized descendant of one of the "extinct" giant baboons whose fossils were discovered in Africa in the 1930's. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Broom) Theropithecus brumpti, and dinopithecus ingens (dinopithecus meaning "terrible monkey") were over twice the size of today's baboons. The dinopithecus in particular fits the witness descriptions based on the reported estimates of remarkable size. It is theorized that these baboons may have crossed the bering strait land bridge connecting Asia with North America during the last ice age as did many other animals including humans. Descriptions of the animal are consistent with baboon anatomy, having a long dog-like snout and prominent canines. The male dinopithecus is estimated to have been five feet tall at the shoulder (on four legs). Due to the lack of fossils, it is unknown whether or not either of these baboon species were capable of walking upright. It should be noted that, unlike wild dogs or wolves, extant baboons species have been observed to walk on two legs, in particular when crossing bodies of water. If standing upright, the total height of the animal, in the case of the dinopithecus, could have exceeded eight feet. There are no known fossils or bones of baboons in North America, though, in 2009 a skull was discovered at a Dallas construction site which some believe to be that of a baboon, possibly a juvenile or female dinopithecus. Many eyewitnesses report that the dogmen will engage in lip-curling displays, common among baboons. Dogman witnesses report large eyes, having eye-shine at night which suggests that the animal is primarily nocturnal. Witnesses report a dog-like lower leg with a "backwards knee" or hock common to all quadrupedal animals. (The human equivalent of a dog "hock" or "backwards knee" is the heal of the foot.) Baboons have elongated feet which might suggest a dog-like appearance. It is the opinion of the author that these animals should be recognized and protected under the endangered species act. [[File:Extinct baboon skull.jpg|thumb|Skull of Extinct Giant Baboon, Theropithecus Brumpti]] |
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In 1987, disc jockey Steve Cook at [[WTCM-FM]] in [[Traverse City, Michigan]] recorded a song titled "The Legend", which he initially played as an [[April Fool's Day]] joke. He based the songs on myths and legends from around North America, and had never heard of an actual Michigan "dogman" at the time of the recording:<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/25/michigan-dogman-upright-canine_n_2019442.html |title= Michigan Dogman, Mysterious Upright Canine Creature, Haunts State's Backwoods |last=Sands |first=David |work= Huffington Post |date= 26 October 2012 |accessdate= 26 February 2017}}</ref> |
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{{Quote|text=I made it up completely from my own imagination as an April Fools' prank for the radio and stumbled my way to a legend that goes back all the way to Native American times. |author=Steve Cook|source=Skeptoid.com, Wag the Dogman<ref name=SWtD />}} |
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In 1987 (100 years after the first reported sighting of the creature), [[disc jockey]] Steve Cook at [[WTCM-FM]] in [[Traverse City, Michigan]] recorded a song titled "The Legend", which he initially played as an [[April Fool's Day]] joke. He based the songs on actual reports of the creature.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Beast of Bray Road: Tailing Wisconsin's Werewolf |last=Godfrey |first=Linda S. |year=2003 |publisher=Big Earth Publishing |isbn=1-879483-91-2 |page=58 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=h_Po8ixCCqUC&pg=PA58&dq=michigan+dogman&hl=en&ei=QLS3TMvYGMyanAfUmtCRCQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCUQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=michigan%20dogman&f=false |accessdate=14 October 2010}}</ref> |
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{{Quote|text=I |
Cook maintains his skepticism about the possibility of a real dogman, he had this to say about the matter:{{Quote|text=I'm tremendously skeptical, because I've sort of seen the way folklore becomes built from the creation of this song to what it's turned into ... but I do believe people who think they saw something really did see something. I also think the Dogman provides them with an avenue to explain what they couldn't explain for themselves. |author=Steve Cook|source=Skeptoid.com, Wag the Dogman<ref name=SWtD />}} |
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| ⚫ | Cook recorded the song with a keyboard backing and credited it to Bob Farley.<ref>{{cite web |title=Chapter 1 |url=http://www.michigan-dogman.com/00_history_chap1.html |work=Michigan Dogman.com |accessdate=8 October 2010}}</ref> After he played the song, Cook received calls from listeners who said that they had encountered a similar creature. In the next weeks after Cook first played the song, it was the most-requested song on the station. He also sold cassettes of the songs for four dollars, and donated proceeds from the single to an animal shelter.<ref name="Book" /> Over the years, Cook has received more than 100 reports of the creature's existence.<ref name="quest">{{cite news|url=http://www.cadillacnews.com/news_story/?story_id=1457960&year=2010&issue=20100322|title=Dogman to be topic of MonsterQuest|last=Charmoli|first=Rick|date=22 March 2010|work=Cadillac News|accessdate=15 October 2010}}</ref> In March 2010, the creature was featured in an episode of ''[[MonsterQuest]]''.<ref name="quest" /> In January 2017, the creature was featured in the season 2 episode "''Great Lakes: Wolfman, Dogman, Wendigo''" of ''[[Monsters and Mysteries in America]]''. |
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Cook maintains his skepticism about the possibility of a real dogman, he had this to say about the matter:{{Quote|text=I'm tremendously skeptical, because I've sort of seen the way folklore becomes built from the creation of this song to what it's turned into ... but I do believe people who think they saw something really did see something. I also think the Dogman provides them with an avenue to explain what they couldn't explain for themselves. |author=Steve Cook|source=Skeptoid.com, Wag the Dogman <ref name=SWtD/>}} |
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Other references to Dogman include various Youtube channels including Dogman Encounters Radio, Dogman Narratives, Scary Stories NYC, Campfire Tales, Dogman Encounters with Jeffrey Nadolny, and Lilith Dread, as well as the creator Josh Nanocchio, the host of what lurks beneath. |
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| ⚫ | Cook recorded the song with a |
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Cook later added verses to the song in 1997 after hearing a report of an animal break-in by an unknown canine at a cabin in [[Luther, Michigan]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Dogman? "Attack" brings a 90-year-old legend to life again up north |last=Mencarelli |first=Jim |newspaper=[[The Grand Rapids Press]] |date=17 July 1987 |
Cook later added verses to the song in 1997 after hearing a report of an animal break-in by an unknown canine at a cabin in [[Luther, Michigan]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Dogman? "Attack" brings a 90-year-old legend to life again up north |last=Mencarelli |first=Jim |newspaper=[[The Grand Rapids Press]] |date=17 July 1987 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Chapter 3 |url=http://www.michigan-dogman.com/00_history_chap3.html |work=Michigan Dogman.com |accessdate=8 October 2010}}</ref> He re-recorded it again in 2007, with a [[mandolin]] backing. |
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== Feature film == |
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| ⚫ | In late 2011, filmmaker Rich Brauer released a film called ''Dogman'', starring [[Larry Joe Campbell]]. The movie premiered at the [[State Theatre (Traverse City, Michigan)|State Theater]] in [[Traverse City, MI|Traverse City]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cadillacnews.com/news_story/?story_id=1799456&year=2012&issue=20120323|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130120044110/http://www.cadillacnews.com/news_story/?story_id=1799456&year=2012&issue=20120323|url-status=dead|archive-date=20 January 2013|title=CadillacNews.com|accessdate=7 July 2015}}</ref> |
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In 2007, a digital copy of an 8mm film surfaced on the internet. Dubbed "The Gable Film" because of a small paper tag attached to the box containing the film reel, it quickly attained viral status among cryptozoological enthusiasts. Many people believed it was the long-awaited conclusive evidence of the existence of the Michigan dogman. The entire film is 3.5 minutes long, and appears to have been shot in the mid to late 1960s, due to the clothing and hair styles by the persons in the film, which were most prominent during that time. Early scenes are typical home movie fare: children riding snowmobiles, a German shepherd, a person chopping wood, etc. Toward the end of the film, the photographer is shooting from inside a moving vehicle traveling along a dirt road, when he spots what appears to be a gorilla-like animal moving in a field on the passenger side of the vehicle. The photographer exits the vehicle and seems to pursue the creature for several seconds. Then it appears again, facing the photographer from a ridge about 150 feet away. After a few seconds the creature charges. Rapid movement of the camera suggests the photographer is fleeing the attack. In the last five seconds of the film, the camera drops to the ground, lying on its left side. A second film titled "The Gable Film Part 2" surfaced later on which seemingly shows a police investigation of the incident recorded in the first reel during which the officers investigating the scene examine a bifurcated corpse (presumably the body of the person recording the previous reel). |
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The film included a brief segment of "The Gable Film", used with permission from Mike Agrusa, who received acknowledgement in the film credits. |
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After years of analysis and debate, the film was finally revealed as a hoax in the finale episode of ''[[MonsterQuest]]'' on March 24, 2010. The Gable Film had been shot using vintage cameras, film, and period props by Mike Agrusa, a fan of "The Legend," song. The second video was likewise hoaxed. ''MonsterQuest'' claimed their investigative team uncovered irregularities in the film, and then forced the hoaxers to confess to werewolf expert Linda Godfrey. However the Hoaxers say that they told ''MonsterQuest'' from the beginning that the film was a fake and they fabricated the "investigation" to make a more interesting episode.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://michigan-dogman.com/wordpress/?p=207|title=The Dogman Blog|work=michigan-dogman.com|accessdate=7 July 2015}}</ref> |
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== See also == |
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* [[Beast of Bray Road]] |
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| ⚫ | In late 2011, |
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* [[Dog Soldiers]] |
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== References == |
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==References== |
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[[Category:American legendary creatures]] |
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{{Cryptozoology}} |
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==External links== |
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* {{Skeptoid | id=4477 | number=477 | title=Wag the Dogman}} |
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[[Category:Carnivorous cryptids]] |
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Revision as of 14:10, 25 June 2024
| Similar entities | Beast of Bray Road |
|---|---|
| Folklore | Cryptid |
| First attested | 1887 |
| Other name(s) | Michigan Werewolf |
| Country | United States |
| Region | Michigan |
| Part of a series on the |
| Paranormal |
|---|
In folklore, the Michigan Dogman was a creature allegedly witnessed in 1887 in Wexford County, Michigan, United States. It was described as a seven-foot tall, blue-eyed, or amber-eyed bipedal canine-like animal with the torso of a man and a fearsome howl that sounds like a human scream. According to legends, the Michigan Dogman appears in a ten-year cycle that falls on years ending in 7.[1] Sightings have been reported in several locations throughout Michigan, primarily in the northwestern quadrant of the Lower Peninsula. Many believers in the Dogman claim that simply clapping will scare them away.
History
This creature was unknown to most of the modern world, until very late in the 20th century. It is said to have been stalking the area around the Manistee River since the days when the Odawa tribes lived there.[1]
The first alleged encounter of the Michigan Dogman occurred in 1887 in Wexford County, when two lumberjacks saw a creature which they described as having a man's body and a dog's head.[2]
In 1937 in Paris, Michigan, Robert Fortney was attacked by five wild dogs and said that one of the five walked on two legs.[3] Reports of similar creatures also came from Allegan County in the 1950s, and in Manistee and Cross Village in 1967.[4]
Linda S. Godfrey, in her book The Beast of Bray Road, compares the Manistee sightings to a similar creature sighted in Wisconsin known as the Beast of Bray Road.[3]
The Cook song
In 1987, disc jockey Steve Cook at WTCM-FM in Traverse City, Michigan recorded a song titled "The Legend", which he initially played as an April Fool's Day joke. He based the songs on myths and legends from around North America, and had never heard of an actual Michigan "dogman" at the time of the recording:[5]
I made it up completely from my own imagination as an April Fools' prank for the radio and stumbled my way to a legend that goes back all the way to Native American times.
— Steve Cook, Skeptoid.com, Wag the Dogman[1]
Cook maintains his skepticism about the possibility of a real dogman, he had this to say about the matter:
I'm tremendously skeptical, because I've sort of seen the way folklore becomes built from the creation of this song to what it's turned into ... but I do believe people who think they saw something really did see something. I also think the Dogman provides them with an avenue to explain what they couldn't explain for themselves.
— Steve Cook, Skeptoid.com, Wag the Dogman[1]
Cook recorded the song with a keyboard backing and credited it to Bob Farley.[6] After he played the song, Cook received calls from listeners who said that they had encountered a similar creature. In the next weeks after Cook first played the song, it was the most-requested song on the station. He also sold cassettes of the songs for four dollars, and donated proceeds from the single to an animal shelter.[3] Over the years, Cook has received more than 100 reports of the creature's existence.[7] In March 2010, the creature was featured in an episode of MonsterQuest.[7] In January 2017, the creature was featured in the season 2 episode "Great Lakes: Wolfman, Dogman, Wendigo" of Monsters and Mysteries in America.
Other references to Dogman include various Youtube channels including Dogman Encounters Radio, Dogman Narratives, Scary Stories NYC, Campfire Tales, Dogman Encounters with Jeffrey Nadolny, and Lilith Dread, as well as the creator Josh Nanocchio, the host of what lurks beneath.
Cook later added verses to the song in 1997 after hearing a report of an animal break-in by an unknown canine at a cabin in Luther, Michigan.[8][9] He re-recorded it again in 2007, with a mandolin backing.
Feature film
In late 2011, filmmaker Rich Brauer released a film called Dogman, starring Larry Joe Campbell. The movie premiered at the State Theater in Traverse City.[10]
The film included a brief segment of "The Gable Film", used with permission from Mike Agrusa, who received acknowledgement in the film credits.
See also
References
- ^ a b c d Hudson, Alison (28 July 2015). "Skeptoid #477: Wag the Dogman". Skeptoid. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
- ^ Royce, Julie Albrecht (2007). Traveling Michigan's Sunset Coast. Dog Ear Publishing. pp. 419–420. ISBN 978-1-59858-321-2. Retrieved 14 October 2010.
- ^ a b c Godfrey, Linda S. (2003). The Beast of Bray Road: Tailing Wisconsin's Werewolf. Black Earth, Wisconsin: Prairie Oak Press. pp. 60–63. ISBN 97-81879483910.
- ^ Newton, Michael Albrecht (2009). Hidden Animals: A Field Guide to Batsquatch, Chupacabra, and Other Elusive Creatures. ABC-CLIO. p. 149. ISBN 978-0-313-35906-4. Retrieved 14 October 2010.
- ^ Sands, David (26 October 2012). "Michigan Dogman, Mysterious Upright Canine Creature, Haunts State's Backwoods". Huffington Post. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
- ^ "Chapter 1". Michigan Dogman.com. Retrieved 8 October 2010.
- ^ a b Charmoli, Rick (22 March 2010). "Dogman to be topic of MonsterQuest". Cadillac News. Retrieved 15 October 2010.
- ^ Mencarelli, Jim (17 July 1987). "Dogman? "Attack" brings a 90-year-old legend to life again up north". The Grand Rapids Press.
- ^ "Chapter 3". Michigan Dogman.com. Retrieved 8 October 2010.
- ^ "CadillacNews.com". Archived from the original on 20 January 2013. Retrieved 7 July 2015.