The Michigan Dogman | Episode 83
Welcome to another episode of Believing the Bizarre!
Bark Bark! Nope, we aren’t talking about aliens – we are talking about the Dogman! Specifically, the Michigan Dogman (although, whether or not this cryptic is specific to Michigan is up for to debate).
We have multiple famous encounters, along with a few fantastic Reddit experiences, that detail witnessing this tall, half man half dog-like creature with either blue, green, or yellow eyes.
But, how believable is the Dogman? Does he truly reside in Michigan? Listen now to find out!
What is the story of the Michigan Dogman?
Is a 7-foot Cryptid stalking the night in northern Michigan?
What would you do if you saw piercing blue eyes staring at you in the darkness of night?
What’s up Bizarros?! This week we jump into the strange story of the Michigan Cryptid, Dogman.
The Michigan Dogman Legend
What is the Michigan Dogman?
The Dogman is a lesser-known but terrifying cryptid known to live in the Michigan area specifically the Wexford County area.
The myth says that the Dogman is approximately 7 ft tall, built like a human, covered in dark black fur, and is said to have bright blue or yellow eyes.
Specifically, the cryptid is not described as a wolfman but a dog man. This means people aren’t thinking it’s a werewolf or another supernatural being.
When did the legend of the Dogman begin?
The legend dates back to the 1800s when it was first witnessed by two lumberjacks in 1887.
They claimed to have seen a creature with the body of a man and the head of a dog.
More interestingly, the sightings seem to follow a 10-year cycle. Is the Dogman of Michigan hibernating for a decade, only waking up to feed before going back into hibernation?
Like bigfoot with the Patterson -Gimlin film that showed Bigfoot for the first time there is a film from the 1970s that proves the dog man’s existence. It is known as the Gable Film.
Although the authenticity of the film has been called into question, as someone has claimed to have faked it.
Though rumors and legends of the Dogman existed in the area since the 1800s the current popularity didn’t start until 1987 when a disc jockey recorded a song about the Dogman.
Three big stories bring the dog man’s story to life.
The Stories Of the Michigan Dogman
The River Sighting
In 1938 in Paris, Michigan, which is in the center of the Wexford country, 17-year old Robert Fortney was next to the Muskegon River and he was attacked by five wild dogs and said that one of the five walked on two legs.
He said the tallest was a huge beast that stood up on hind legs with piercing blue eyes. He also said when he finally came out and told his story almost 50 years later “It may be that I was just scared, but I swear that dog was smiling at me.” He shot at it and ran for his life. Reports of similar creatures also came from Allegan County in the 1950s, and Manistee and Cross Village in 1967
The Factory:
In 1961 the manufacturing plant was situated near a large wilderness area called the hay marsh in Big Rapids, Michigan. The watchman was provided housing right across the street from the plant and oftentimes, conducted guard duty from his porch.
He recalled times when he patrolled the plant’s perimeter fence at night, regularly hearing coyotes, bears, and other strange sounds out in the darkness at night. Certainly, that would be enough to put anyone on edge and want to stay in the safety of your porch rather than going into the darkness.
One night at 3 am during a routine shift on his porch, he heard rustling along the perimeter of the fence near the back of the plant. Drawing his gun, he observed the area around him for a few minutes.
A figure then emerged from the darkness. The watchman described this creature as being covered in fur, and was much taller than a normal human, and had very broad shoulders. To top it off, its face appeared canine with a long snout.
The creature switched between being on all fours and on its hind legs as it made its way along the perimeter fence. Instead of firing his gun, the guard ran inside to grab his camera. When he returned, the creature was now prowling its way along the plant’s driveway, directly under a lamp post. It was then that the watchman managed to take a picture using a long exposure method due to the low lighting. After this, the creature retreated into the hay marsh.
The OnStar Dogman Incident:
The famous Dogman OnStar Attack occurred in Troy, Michigan in 2006. A man was driving down the road when suddenly, according to the driver, a “great big dog that was standing upright” appeared before him. He swerved to miss whatever he saw and ended up running off the road and flipping the vehicle over on its side. He and his passenger were not injured and he was able to get assistance through OnStar. The OnStar recording of that conversation spread across the internet wildfire.
The recording ends with barking and the passengers screaming.
More personal encounters that people have had with this cryptid of Michigan.
Rays drive
In the fall of 1986, out near Manistee, MI, Ray Greenway was driving home from the Manistee Army recruiting station late one night, when he noticed something off in the darkened field beside him. His headlights were reflecting off what appeared to be eyes that were far too high off the ground to be a deer.
Suddenly, the unidentifiable creature began running towards him and made an incredible leap clear across the two-lane road. “There is no animal that it could be. I know that this was not a deer,” Ray later recalled. (perhaps it was a Not Deer) He went on to describe its yellow eyes and impossible leaping ability.
“I do remember that I saw both eyes as if it was looking at me, the whole time. That, along with the leaping ability, is what I will never forget.
The baby cry
One witness claims a dogman was stalking up the hill behind their house in the late fall of 2001. “My stepdaughter and I were looking out the french doors to see a creature, black in color, like a big bear with haunches and the head of a wolf”.
While that was the only visual Cass County Michigan residents experienced, they can still hear it splashing around in the 20-acre swampland at night-sometimes they can even hear it shrieking. “It has the scream of an infant…Loud and hysterical.”
2009 dodge the Dogman
Rhonda of Three Lakes in Michigan had a Dogman encounter in the fall of 2009. She was traveling on US-41M with her son when the beast ran across the highway near Tioga Creek. “We were very puzzled and thought it might be some mutant wolf and could not figure out what we witnessed.
It ran fairly fast about 50 feet in front of our truck. It was so strange because the front of it was much higher up than the back, larger than a wolf.” She claimed she’d never heard of the Dogman until after this incident. After reading descriptions and stories online, she was able to confirm for herself that the creature she encountered was a Dogman.
What Is The Michigan Dogman?
What do you think Bizarros?
Is the Dogman of Michigan a cryptid that comes out once every 10 years to feast before going back into hibernation?
Is it a mutated wild animal that has developed the ability to stand on its hind legs? Could it possibly be a hybrid animal of a wolf and a dog, or some other combination?
Let us know what you think of The Legend Of the Michigan Dogman.