The Germantown Werewolf
An Artist's impression of the Germantown Werewolf
The Germantown Werewolf was a mysterious creature spotted in Defiance, Ohio, several times in 1972. It was a 6ft tall, bipedal wolf that was said to carry a plank of wood In its front paws.
Description of the Germantown Werewolf
The Germantown Werewolf is described as a 6ft tall dog that stands upright like a human. It is said to be dark grey in color and have glowing red eyes.
It is described as having an almost human-like intelligence and the ability to use tools like a human. It has been seen to carry crude weapons, such as a 2x4 plank of wood, in its front paws.
Germantown Werewolf Sightings
A video telling of some sightings of the Germantown Werewolf
Over the years, several reports have been made about the werewolf of Defiance, Ohio. Joedy Cook, the founder of the North American Dogman Project (NADP), has been documenting this dogman creature along with other Ohio cryptids, such as the Ohio Grassman, the Beast of Bray Road, and the Butter Street Monster.
The first sighting of the Germantown Dogman was on July 25th, 1972. A train crewman named Ted Davis reported that as he was working on the Norfolk and Western Train lines, he suddenly spotted two huge hairy paws on the ground in front of him.
He slowly rose up from his work to see what was there. To his astonishment he saw a 6ft tall dog-like creature carrying a large wooden board. The creature attacked Ted with the board before running off into the woods at great speed.
Ted reported this incident to police chief, Donald Breaker.
Just a few days after the initial encounter, Ted and his colleague Tom Jones were back to work, still processing what they had experienced earlier. On July 30th, they both witnessed the creature again, prowling in the bushes at a safe distance. Startled by the presence of the werewolf creature, it ran away, prompting the men to file a police report to raise awareness of the potential danger. Despite the bizarre events, the police agreed to investigate.
Another train crewman reported seeing the Ohio werewolf around 3 a.m., and a motorist claimed to have seen the creature running in front of their car at 4 a.m. before disappearing. A grocery store employee also reported seeing a dog-like creature that matched the previous descriptions, while driving home from a late shift.
In a follow-up story, citizens concluded that the werewolf was not an animal, but a person. The police confirmed that the individual had not robbed anyone or approached any women.
Possible Explanations for the Germantown Werewolf
While some residents were shocked and fearful, most people living in the neighborhood along the Norfolk & Western Railway tracks believed that the creature was just a mentally unstable, incredibly hairy individual running loose.
There have been several other sightings of werewolves in Ohio though which do lend credence to the idea that there could be some kind of yet to be classified bipedal dog creature lurking in the woods.
Have you ever seen a creature like the Germantown Werewolf? Let us know in the comments!
If you enjoyed this article you might be interested in the Cadejo cryptid from Central America or the story of the Palmyra Wolves.
