What’s Really in the Michigan Woods?
The legend of the werewolf has captivated several cultures for centuries. Not as widely know is a similar creature, the Dogman. While they do not change from man to dog, they strike terror into the hearts of believers. Dogmen stand at roughly 7ft tall with blue or amber colored eyes. When they howl, they sound like a screaming man. They are known to be brutal and vicious in appearance, although most sightings do not actually end in violence.
Dogmen sightings happen mostly in wooded areas, and one of the more famous beasts is the Michigan Dogman. While the Odawa Indians had a history of lore involving the creature, the first official reported encounter of the beast occurred in 1887 in Wexford County, by two lumberjacks who saw a creature which they described as walking upright with a man’s torso and a canine head. In 1937, Mr. Robert Fortney made claims he was attacked by a pack of dogmen. These are only a few of the hundreds of recorded sightings in Michigan alone. According to myth, the Michigan Dogman appears in a ten-year cycle that falls on years ending in 7, which places the next round of sightings to begin in 2027.
Even though the Michigan Dogman is possibly the most famous, dogmen are spotted across the United States, with the highest concentration centered around the Great Lakes. Pennsylvania is one of such spots where recent sightings have occurred. In 2019, a Delaware county man was camping in a remote region when he was terrorized by a large, dog like creature who left him bruised, bloody and confused.
While the violent attacks do stand out, most of the time, Dogmen kind of just skulk around a bit. Lots of sightings involve seeing them peeking in windows or getting curious about hikers and campers. To be completely honest, I don’t know if I’m a believer or not, but I do think that anytime there is a history of a creature coming from multiple locations and cultures, there’s something there to be explored. Although maybe I’ll search during the daytime.