# Maine mystery monster



## RAXL (Jul 9, 2004)

Residents are wondering if an animal found dead over the weekend may be the mysterious creature that has mauled dogs, frightened residents and been the subject of local legend for half a generation. 

The animal was found near power lines along Route 4 on Saturday, apparently struck by a car while chasing a cat. The carcass was photographed and inspected by several people who live in the area, but nobody is sure exactly what it is. 

Michelle O'Donnell of Turner spotted the animal near her yard about a week before it was killed. She called it a "hybrid mutant of something." 

"It was evil, evil looking. And it had a horrible stench I will never forget," she told the Sun Journal of Lewiston. "We locked eyes for a few seconds and then it took off. I've lived in Maine my whole life and I've never seen anything like it." 

For the past 15 years, residents across Androscoggin County have reported seeing and hearing a mysterious animal with chilling monstrous cries and eyes that glow in the night. The animal has been blamed for attacking and killing a Doberman pinscher and a Rottweiler the past couple of years. 

People from Litchfield, Sabattus, Greene, Turner, Lewiston and Auburn have come forward to speak of a mystery monster that roams the woods. Nobody knows for sure what it is, and theories have ranged from a hyena or dingo to a fisher or coydog, an offspring of a coyote and a wild dog. 

Now, people are asking if the mystery beast and the animal killed over the weekend are one and the same. 

Wildlife officials and animal control officers declined to go to Turner to examine the remains. By Tuesday, the carcass had been picked clean by vultures and there was not much left of the dead animal. 

Loren Coleman, a Portland author and cryptozoologist, said it's unlikely that the animal was anybody's pet. 

After reviewing photos of the carcass, Coleman said he was bothered by the animal's ears and snout. It reminded him of a case years ago in northern Maine in which an animal shot by a hunter could not be identified. In the end, wildlife officials got a DNA analysis that showed the animal was a rare wolf-dog hybrid, he said. 

Mike O'Donnell, who is married to Michelle O'Donnell, said the animal looked "half-rodent, half-dog" to him. 

It was charcoal gray, weighed between 40 and 50 pounds and had a bushy tail, a short snout, short ears and curled fangs hanging over its lips, he said. It looked like "something out of a Stephen King story." 

"This is something I've never seen before. It's an evil-looking thing," he said.


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## BuriedAlive (Jun 8, 2006)

Must be an R.U.S. that migrated out of the fire swamp.


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## grapegrl (Jan 3, 2006)

Here's a link to the article complete with picture (make sure you click the picture to enlarge it): Article w/pic

All I can say is 'OMFG!'  I called my boyfriend in from another room to look at this article and picture and even he was shocked.


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## Sinister (Apr 18, 2004)

'Twould appear to be a cross between a wolf and Weimaraner. Case closed. Next...!


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## krypt (Oct 25, 2005)

Sinister said:


> 'Twould appear to be a cross between a wolf and Weimaraner. Case closed. Next...!


why so negative lately?


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## Sinister (Apr 18, 2004)

How am I being negative? I am almost positive that's what it appears to be. Besides, I'm just ****ing around and everyone who knows me, knows that I am. I mess with RAXL all the time about Chupa's and various other things and it's all in good fun. I think you are being over sensitive. Can you give me an example where I have been acting differently than usual?


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## krypt (Oct 25, 2005)

I thought you were serious. Kinda crush my dreams fast on these kinda post .........i wanna belive i wanna belive


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## Beepem (Jul 17, 2006)

i saw him on tv last night! im in new england

i hate looking at that picture, it freaks me out lol


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## RAXL (Jul 9, 2004)

An expert who examined the remains of a mystery creature believes it was a wild dog. But that hasn't stopped runaway speculation about the beast and whether it was responsible for mauling dogs and frightening residents. 
Loren Coleman, a Portland author and cryptozoologist, said he didn't know for sure what the animal was based on his examination of its remains Wednesday. 

"I think this dead animal is a chow or chow-mix, a relatively small dog, that was feral, which is unusual for that area," he told the Sun Journal newspaper. He noted, however, that his was only an educated guess based on the findings so far. 

State wildlife biologists and local animal control officers declined to go to Turner to examine the remains of the animal, which was found Saturday along Route 4. It was apparently hit by a car while chasing a cat. 

Without any official findings, the creature obtained near-mythical status as word spread in the media and on the Internet. 

Some say it's simply a dog. Others say it's a goat-sheep hybrid. Still others weighed in that the creature may have been a Tasmanian devil, a dingo, a wolf or coyote. Some of the more outlandish theories involve mutations and extraterrestrials. 

People from Litchfield, Sabattus, Greene, Turner, Lewiston and Auburn have come forward to speak of a mystery monster that roams the woods. 

"It's crazy. Everybody's talking about it. We sold out of newspapers by 9 this morning," said Debi Bodwell, who was at work at Schrep's Corner Store in Turner. "Everybody is mad because the game wardens haven't come out to take a look at it." 

By the time Coleman arrived on Wednesday there wasn't much left. The internal organs and skull were gone. All that was left were some bones and skin. 

Nonetheless, he came away with a paw and other body parts to be examined later. Another paw was taken by the Sun Journal, which was exploring the possibility of conducting DNA tests. 

One person who remains convinced that the creature was no dog was the woman whose photos were carried in the Sun Journal and in news organizations across the country. Michelle O'Donnell doesn't know what it is, but she's convinced it wasn't a dog. 

Nonetheless, she's surprised by the interest in the creature. 

"I didn't know the story would be this big," she said. "My phone has been ringing off the hook."


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## Johnny Thunder (Feb 24, 2006)

There's something human like in that face. Yikes.


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## Michigal (Jan 3, 2006)

Sinister said:


> 'Twould appear to be a cross between a wolf and Weimaraner. Case closed. Next...!


Nah. I'd go with pit bull and chow, with maybe coyote thrown into the mix. Supposedly there are no wolves in Maine. Besides, I've seen "alley curs" in the big cities that looked like that. Methinks someone dropped off their pit bull/chow mix into the woods and it mated with a coyote.


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## HibLaGrande (Sep 25, 2005)

poor puppy dog...


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## grapegrl (Jan 3, 2006)

I know, Hibs...


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## Michigal (Jan 3, 2006)

Yes, definitely poor puppy dog...

*DNA tests reveal Turner 'creature' was 100 percent dog*

September 1, 2006

LEWISTON, Maine --DNA tests have removed the veil of mystery from a creature that created a media and Internet sensation. It was just a dog -- 100 percent dog, according to the Sun Journal.

The newspaper ordered up tests to end the speculation by readers who thought the creature may have been a Tasmanian devil, a dingo, a wolf or coyote. Some of the more outlandish theories involve mutations and extraterrestrials.

Dr. Yuri Melekovets, the laboratory director at HealthGene Corp. in Toronto, said he's certain that the creature was just a dog.

The animal, which was hit by a car while chasing a cat, was photographed by a local resident and the image was provided to the newspaper. People in Turner speculated that it had been a mystery creature that killed pets and screamed at nights, terrorizing residents.

It had a short snout, small ears and blue eyes.

Michelle O'Donnell, who saw the animal days before it was killed, described it to the newspaper as "the weirdest-looking thing I have ever seen."

State wildlife biologists and local animal control officers declined to go to Turner to examine the remains of the animal.

Without any official findings, the creature obtained near-mythical status as word spread in the media and on the Internet. The newspaper obtained a paw from the animal's remains and ordered up its own tests.

Melekovets said the dog was likely a mix of breeds. He said there could be a trace of "rare breed" in the specimen. His guess? Perhaps a fairly new breed from Germany known as an Eurasier, which is a cross between a wolfspitz, chow and Samoyed.

His conclusion supports the findings of a University of Maine professor, Irv Kornfield, who also determined that the creature was a dog.

Kornfield said the unique DNA signature was run through the nation's gene bank database, where DNA sequences are logged, and it "most closely resembled the very common genetic signature for domestic dog."


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## writer93 (Aug 29, 2006)

Well if that wasn't it, then I wonder what was making those cries at night and killing animals? lol, Something to think about.


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## grapegrl (Jan 3, 2006)

Thanks for the follow-up, Michigal!

For those interested, here's a GIS (Google image search) for Eurasiers


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## Michigal (Jan 3, 2006)

Thanks for the search, grapegrl. That's an interesting looking breed. At times resembles a Keeshond, othertimes a Samoyed (the white ones) and even one that was reminiscent of a Belgian Sheepdog.
I still think it was just a mixed breed, though, most likely chow and pit bull. I can't see anyone letting a rare (and probably expensive) breed run wild.

As far as what people are hearing, I'm sure it's coyotes. Those that move here from the city wouldn't have a clue what a god-awful noise they can make. And they will kill small animals if they're easy pickings. 

Of course, it could be Maine's version of the Dogman, but that's a whole 'nother thread.


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## RAXL (Jul 9, 2004)

I find it interesting that he says "it most closely resembled the very common genetic signature for domestic dog."
That sounds a lot like, "well, it has to be something, and its almost,pretty close to a dog".
That, too me, is a bit different from saying "yes, it is definately 100% a dog."


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