Luther, Michigan - 1987

Luther, Michigan is a small community roughly in the center of Lake County, on the western side of the lower peninsula. It is surrounded by wide expanses of forest and farm lands, along with countless lake cottages and hunting camps.

In early July of 1987, the telephone rang at the Lake County Sheriff's office in Baldwin, about 10 miles southwest of Luther. The deputy listened carefully as a man described what he termed "an animal attack" on his remote cabin. The damage was significant enough that the caller wanted an officer dispatched to file a report.

The deputy contacted a ranger from the US Forest Service to accompany him to the site. On the way, the ranger joked with the deputy. "Maybe it's the dogman, like in that song on the radio." They both laughed at the idea.

When the two men arrived at the scene, they weren't laughing. The cabin was made entirely of wood, and whatever had attacked it had used considerable force. Shards of wood from the trim around the doors and two of the windows littered the ground. There were claw marks more than 1/2 inch deep in the wood siding. Several screens had been ripped to shreds, and one window was cracked from an impact.

The deputy commented, "This had to be a bear, trying to get to some food inside."

"Have you ever seen a bear with feet like that?" said the cabin owner. He pointed to some large tracks in the dirt near the front door. The impressions were set deep, indicating a heavy amimal, and the prints were clearly those of a large dog.

The ranger and the deputy filed incident reports later that day. Both of them listed the perpetrator of the attack as an "unknown animal."

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