'Hybrid Mutant' Found Dead in Maine {REAL MONSTER Alert!]

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | 8/16/06 | AP

[TFFKAMM]

(08-16) 13:55 PDT Turner, Maine (AP) --

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...

[nutmeg]

EKTHELTHIOR!!!

[devolve]

I know you did not know what you'd hear

Would I do that?

[potlatch]

YES!!

[devolve]

[potlatch]

Fly Away!!

[antceecee]

You hit it on the head... I immediately thought that this was Stephen King material. LOL!!! ; )

[hope]

Yep, looks like a chow mix to me...

[antceecee]

Love it. Looks like my puppy dog... Spike!

[norton]

Bump.

(from hiding)

[devolve]

potlatch has a great webpage of many Piper pics at various ages (and various appearances) and times in a Javascript slideshow with BG music

[RexFamilia]

It has the features of a democrat during the full phase of the moon!

[potlatch]

Which devolve so nicely made up! It never occurred to me to link to it!!

I know, I'm going, goodnight!

[devolve]

[XR7]

[WestVirginiaRebel]

"Awww...not Cujo!"

[aruanan]

Someone get a sample of flesh or kidney or liver, isolate some organelles, extract the mRNA, sequence it, convert to the DNA sequence, and BLAST it to see what species pop up.

[Jezebelle]

I have. Very primal, very scary.

[Salamander]

If you look at the picture closely, I the tongue *is* sticking out.
It's covering the points of the fangs and that's what's making the teeth look so odd.
The tongue is blue with patches of pink.

See this blow-up. The tongue is under the red arrow.
http://star.walagata.com/w/the-salamander/tongue.jpg
I'd say definite Chow hybrid.

[SheLion]

Thanks for the ping! Yuk!

I'm glad to be in northern Maine. If there are more running around like this, they can keep them down there. What a pathetic creature.

[R. Scott]

That is one mean looking dog!