A MonsterQuest Look at American Werewolf

Wisconsin has been the location of over 200 sightings of a half-man half-animal creature known as the Dogman. Eyewitnesses have seen three different varieties of this Dogman with reports of a wolf-like creature, bear-like creature and a Bigfoot-like creature. Dogman eyewitnesses report that the creature is between six and eight feet tall, fur covered with the hands and feet of a human. In the Monsterquest episode entitled “American Werewolf”, the team focuses its investigation into the sighting of the wolf-like Dogman.

The History

Between 1450 and 1700, hundreds of people in Europe were tried and executed for being witches or werewolves. While we know today that these people were mostly if not all innocent, there was one man who did not seem to deny being a werewolf. Peter Stubbe of Bedburg, Germany admitted to killing and eating 14 children and two pregnant women. Stubbe claimed that the devil had given him a belt that allowed him to turn into a devouring wolf with monstrous strength. The confession was obtained under torture so it can be viewed rather dubiously. University of Minnesota Professor Anatoly Liberman is an expert in Germanic folklore. Liberman stated that Stubbed believed he was a werewolf and that when he put on the belt he had the strength to perform the deeds that he admitted to.

In modern times, we are aware that a confession to being a werewolf does not make one a werewolf. Author Linda Godfrey believes that many people who confessed to being werewolves in the middle ages may have suffered from a disease known as Saint Anthony ’s fire. This disease was caused by a fungus that grows on rye which was a staple food for the peasantry in that time period. Symptoms of Saint Anthony ’s fire include delusions, strange behavior and sometimes death.

Psychiatrist and wildlife biologist Dr. Greg Bambeneck believes that most werewolf confessions were a result of more commonly known mental disorders. According to Bambeneck, a psychiatrist in the late 1600s realized that confessions of witches and werewolves were the result of mental disorders and these people started to be looked at as insane instead of as criminals. Today Lycanthropy or the belief that one is a werewolf is a recognized psychiatric condition. Since the advent of anti-psychotic drugs, this condition has all but disappeared.

Many believe that the werewolf is now relegated to the realm of horror films and Halloween but that is not the case in Wisconsin. This area has been the focal point of an increasing number of sightings of the Dogman. The Dogman is a werewolf like creature that author Linda Godfrey wrote about in her book, The Beast of Bray Road. Godfrey has collected over 100 accounts of this creature. Some claim that these witnesses saw a Bigfoot type creature or simply misidentified a known creature but Godfrey claims that they are sincere in what they believe they saw. In 2005, Godfrey received a hair sample from an anonymous woman who claimed to have recovered it when a Dogman creature that had jumped off her roof.

Wisconsin was settled by many immigrants of German descent in the mid 1800s. Many of these people may have brought tales and superstitions about werewolves with them when they settled the area. Both Germany and Wisconsin had wolves and conflict would often arise between humans and native wolf populations. Wolves were eliminated from Wisconsin by the 1960s but they have recovered to a population of around 600 since then. The increase in Dogmen sightings seems to coincide with the return of the wolf population but many witnesses believe that what they saw was definitely not a wolf.

Don Young is a veteran hunter and guide in Wisconsin. He claims to have encountered the Dogman five times since 2002. He is familiar with bears and wolves and is positive that what he saw was something different. He describes the creature as between six and seven feet tall, with human looking feet, and black eyes. He states that he observed the creature make a 12 foot leap. While armed with a rifle at the time of his encounters, he says he never shot at the creature because of the fear that it was a man in some type of suit.

In 1977, Kim Del Rio was only seven when she and her mother heard screaming coming from the front yard. When they got to the front yard area, they saw a neighbor clutching her child and screaming at some dog-like animal. She remembers the animal as being like a dog but with human-like fingers. Her mother would later only refer to the animal as that “dog thing”.

In 1994, David and Mary Pagliaroni claim that they saw the Dogman in Honey Creek, Wisconsin. While driving home, the couple saw a creature standing on a bridge. They stopped the car 20 to 25 feet away from the creature and describe it as around 7 feet tall, 600 to 700 pounds, brown fur and dark eyes. The creature jumped from the side of the bridge and disappeared into the night.

In 2004, Katie Zahn and two friends encountered a group of Dogmen in Rock County, Wisconsin. They had gone to investigate an area where others had reported seeing the Dogman. They were walking in the woods when they came across a group of three Dogmen drinking from a stream. According to Zahn, the creatures behaved like humans but they definitely were not human. When the Dogmen began to approach the group, they ran away from the area.

In the fall of 1981, Marv Kirschnik was driving in Elkhorn, Wisconsin. He saw some sort of creature behind a tree and stopped to look at it. At first he thought it was a dog but as the creature looked back at him he changed his mind. The creature seemed to have the human-like characteristics of the Dogman. It looked very canine with human hands.

In 2003, Matt Wakely was driving past a graveyard in Wisconsin. He saw a six foot tall hairy creature standing upright in the graveyard. He describes the creature as a cross between a wolf and a caveman.

The Investigation

MonsterQuest investigated the Dogman testimony, evidence and locations as part of the show. Witnesses will undergo hypnotic regression or polygraph tests to check out their stories. Hair samples will be tested. An expedition will be sent to the area of numerous sighting to try to find evidence of the Dogman.

The Godfrey hair sample

MonsterQuest obtained a portion of the hair sample that author Linda Godfrey had received from an anonymous woman. The women had claimed that a Dogman left the hair behind when it had jumped from her roof. MonsterQuest had wildlife biologist Dr. Lynn Rogers analyze the hair sample for species identification. Rogers states that the hair sample came from a common domestic cat.

The Dogman Expedition

Psychiatrist and Wildlife expert Dr. Greg Bambeneck is leading a MonsterQuest expedition to Wisconsin in a search for the Dogman. Dr. Bambeneck believes that Dogmen sightings are the result of witnesses misidentifying a known creature like a bear or a wolf. Bambeneck states that bears and wolves can get up on two feet but they can not move gracefully or jump great distances while on two feet as described by some of the witnesses.

Bambeneck will be joined by hunter and guide Don Young who has reported seeing the creature five times. They plan to investigate to investigate the area of Young’s multiple encounters. Bambeneck is bringing a tranquilizer gun and equipment to collect hair, DNA samples and photographic evidence.

Bambeneck and Young find a field of saw grass with some strange signs. In the field they find several flattened bedding areas with what appear to be large bipedal footprints. Most large animals do not make beds in saw grass areas due to the sharp and cutting nature of the grass. The area leading up to beds is not flattened as one would expect a large animal to do. It appears as if something stepped over the grass. Bambeneck is able to recover a hair sample from the area.

After several days of investigating the area, Bambeneck is able to find no other possible evidence of the Dogman. The hair sample is sent away for comparative analysis by forensic examiner Nicholas Petraco. Petraco determines that the hair sample came from a brown furred black bear.

Hypnotic Regression

MonsterQuest enlisted the aid of Milwaukee area clinical hypnotherapist Jerry Calvi to help with the case of Kim Del Rio. Del Rio reported having an encounter with the Dogman when she was only seven years old. Since she was so young, her memories of this event may have altered over time. Calvi uses a technique known as regressive hypnosis to help her recall the events in detail. According to Calvi, Del Rio believes the events happened as she has related them and the regressive hypnosis only led to additional details.

The Polygraph Test

MonsterQuest has enlisted the aid of Sgt. William Macki from the Grand Forks, North Dakota Police Department. Macki is an expert in administering polygraph tests. Experts believe that polygraph tests are successful 70 to 90% of the time in determining if a person is telling what they believe to be the truth. A polygraph can not tell if the witness is accurate in the observations but only if they believe what they are saying.

As mentioned previously Katie Zahn, David Pagliaroni, Mary Pagliaroni, Marv Kirschnik, and Matt Wakely have all reported encounters with the Dogman. They have agreed to have polygraph tests administered by Macki in regards to their encounters. According to Macki, all of these witnesses believe that they are being truthful about their encounters with the creature.

Conclusion

MonsterQuest was unable to find any evidence of the Dogman in Wisconsin. The eyewitnesses seem to be telling the truth but what are they seeing. It is entirely possible that eyewitnesses are misidentifying wolves or other known creatures.

Monsterquest has done investigation into other creatures like the Dogman. The sightings of the Dogman are believed by many to be similar to the Bigfoot, Sasquatch and Skunk Ape sightings from around North America