The following account was received via e-mail. It comes from the eastern side of Michigan's lower peninsula, an area rich in lowlands and forests.
"My dad and I have a story to tell about our encounters with the Dogman. My dad's story took place in the mid 70's. There is a cemetery behind the Alpena high school and a wooded area behind that. There are many trails that run through here. In this area is a place called The Sandies, where all the young kids would go and party. My dad and two of his buddies were in a canoe in broad daylight paddling from The Sandies around the back of the cemetery. The banks of the river are 10-12 feet high in places, and some trails run right to the edge. The three of them saw what looked to be a big dog running behind them on the trail. They didn't pay much attention to it until they heard a splash. When they looked it was swimming after them, then it went from a dog paddle to the chest and front legs coming out of the water and wading after them. They decided right then not to wait around to see what it was. Honestly i thought it was B.S. at the time, and I'm still not sure even to this day if it was something they had been smoking or drinking.
satellite photo courtesy of Google Maps
Then around 2001-2002, I was leading some friends through The Sandies trails. I used to like taking people out there without a flashlight and tell them my dad's story to freak them out. The girls were freaked out before we even got into the woods so I decided not to scare them that night.
In the river are small several islands connected by a small sliver of land. At that time there were three such islands chained together and I took them through to the last one which was planted with pines in nice even rows. I was the first one back there, about 30 seconds ahead, when one of the girls got her foot hung up on something. As I was going back to help her, there was a spot where the trees make a sort of roof effect which is really cool looking at night with the moon shining through. At that point I saw something. I'm not sure what it was, but it sent me running out double time. When my buddy saw my face he didn't say a word, he just followed, both of us dragging the girls behind us.
When he asked me later why i came out in such a hurry, i told him it was because I thought I had seen something at the other end of the island walking through the trees that was very tall and not likely human. He may not have believed me, but he never questioned it either.
I'm still not sure what I saw. It could easily have been that I scared myself with dad's story and was seeing things, but I know this: I still don't like the dark, and even though I love hunting, I hate going out before the sun comes up during deer season."
