In the summer of 1998, in Ashland, Ohio, I was working at a radio station (a different station than my Haunted Radio Station story). I had spent some time hanging out with some people I knew from the station and had ahead of me, an hour long drive home.
It was night. The radio station sat on the top of the small Ohio mountain. All around were trees as far as the eye could see, but at night all you could see was what the security light illuminated. As a friend and I stood in the parking lot talking, we saw a dog like thing, the size of a German Shepard, waking toward us form the woods. We both saw it and became rather frightened. "You see that?" one of us said. "Yes." "That's not a dog." "No". It was not the welcoming look of a domesticated dog. This was a wild animal that got its food hunting. It was thin, with long legs, and a white, kind of grey coat. The hair on the ears was long, the hair on its cheeks or jowls were long too. I have looked at pictures of coyotes which do live in Ohio, but this was not a coyote or a dog. It kept its head low and was looking right at us as it stood at the edge of the parking lot and stopped, staring, only about three yards from us! When a dog looks at you, they have a happy look, or a frightened look, this was not that look. I'm not sure how to describe it. Maybe it thought we were going to feed it, or maybe it thought we were dinner? My friend and I spent a short silent moment looking at this thing and we decided to get in my vehicle. In the car we watched as the animal looked a few moments more at us and then slowly went back into the woods. It was a long time before we got out of the car.
I really don't know what it was. It was ugly thought and big. It was not a wolf or a coyote. I wonder if it was a mix of a coyote and a stray dog. It was not an animal with mange. Rabies, maybe. I'm sure it was not a werewolf. I don't believe in them. I made a kind of sketch that I have tried to improve with Photoshop. It's not a great drawing and it looks too human, but it's still pretty close to what I saw.
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| My sketch of the animal |
I have known people, when I use to go to West Virgina as a child, that had the neighborhood pet-dog. It was usually large and friendly and just kind of walked around the winding roads, being fed by the local population. Someone would take it to gets its shots and tags, but it had free reign and didn't really bother anyone. They were usually very nice animals. I wonder if this thing was the offspring of a community pet and a canine wild of some-kind. Was someone keeping exotic animals? Whatever it was, it did not seem very friendly.
If you have any idea what it was I saw, and are serious, then please leave a comment below. I would be happy to hear what anyone might think.
- Mark
PS: After doing some research on the net, I wonder if this is wolf? I have found an article form 2006 that in Hanover Township in Licking Co Ohio. Three wolves were shot and killed after attacking a dog. Glad I wasn't on the menu the day I saw this thing. http://www.everythingwolf.com/news/readarticle.aspx?article=108
I'm now certain that this was a wolf!
APNewsBreak: Gray wolves go back to state control
This article is from May 4th 2011. Just 4 days ago!
From the Associated Press: "The Obama administration on Wednesday moved to lift Endangered Species Act protections for 5,500 gray wolves in the Northern Rockies and Great Lakes, drawing the line on the predators' rapid expansion over the last two decades."
"The Great Lakes proposal also includes portions of North and South Dakota, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio, although government biologist Laura Ragan said no wolves permanently reside in those states." (Emphasis added)In other words; "there are no wolves here, but if you see one, shoot it!"
Other Mystery Creature stories . . .
Black Panther Sightings of Ohio
Mountain Lion Killed in Connecticut & Big Cat sightings in Maryland and West Virginia
My Visit to see where the Mothman Took Flight
I have a huge dog that i rescued from the spca. I am almost positive that he is a wolf. A very domesticated wolf. They said that the was a stray and listed him as a german shepard mix.
ReplyDeleteThat is amazing! I would love to see a picture of the k9. :-)
ReplyDeletei have a friend who saw the exact same thing in 2003 in exact same area with the same discription
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info. I'd like to hear more about that! :-)
ReplyDeletedefinately saw a wolve in astabula county .two years ago .
DeleteI saw something extremely similar to what you described. I was walking my dog in my suburban Cleveland neighborhood along the sidewalk. Across the street, I saw a canine animal so tall that it was sniffing in a trash can without even having to stand up on its hind legs. Then, believe it or not, I clicked off my cell phone call that I was on and looked down for only one or two seconds to put the phone in my pocket. When I looked up, the animal was completely gone. I looked in all directions and couldn't see it anywhere. I definitely saw it. It was a clear night and it there are bright street lights all along that road.
ReplyDeleteI forgot to mention that this happened in the summer/fall of 2005 or 2006. I picked up my dog and carried him almost the rest of the way home, this thing startled me so much!
ReplyDeleteBased on your description it sounds like a shunka warakin or waheela in my opinon it is a waheela although this is not either cryptids normal range the waheela is from canada while the shunka warakin is mostly reported from maine
ReplyDeleteMaybe it was a coywolf http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2732657/Meet-coywolf-hybrid-wolf-coyote-taking-northeast-U-S.html
ReplyDelete