odd wolf like creature

ok i currently live in a rural area in pennsylvania and one night about two weeks ago me and my friend were outside roaming around just getting in a little trouble because we were board. So what happened is we wanted to stay off the main roads to avoid police so we cut through the woods. while cutting through the woods we ran acrossan abondoned back to one of those deliverytrucks the box that holds the shipment. Me and my friends split the back of the truck like we both walked on seperate sides. So i was walking and i stopped because i heard rustling under the truck like the sounds a rat makees. All of the sudden a dark black(really dark black) dog/wolf shaped form jumped out from under the box an amazing distance about 20 ft to the nearest bush?? any 1 haveany idead what it could be

Spooked canine

There's a few reasons why your story makes sense. Before all the naysayers jump on and tell you you're crazy, my hope is they would at least consider the following.

Pennsylvania (not far from where I am) is decidious forest, home of many critters you'd see on Bambi including wolves.

The animal was afraid when it saw people and jumped for cover. This is a natural 'flight' response that occurs most of the time when they encounter people...especially in rural Pennsylvania were hunting is a fairly regular sport. Flight response often includes an adrenaline rush, where the animal is capable of performing 'greater than normal' feasts like jumping long/far distances, very fast sprinting, or unusual sounds. If someone owns a rabbit, cat, or dog and freak it out, typically the owner would get a chuckle on just how weird they can react when startled.

The animal made his home in abandon cover. From insects to large mammals, this is usually the case.

Many people would rather abandon or send away a dog than take it to the SPCA to be put down. "At least it has a fighting chance" is the thinking.

Your instincts tell you it was a wolf or a wolf-like dog, not that it was a shadowbeast or a hellhound from the 4th dimension. I think your instincts on this are right. I cannot confirm exactly what you saw, but from the sounds of it, it reminds me of:

Black Timber Wolf:
www.flickr.com...

The decreasing numbers of wolves are the result of encroachments on their territory by humans, who have regarded wolves as competitors for prey and as dangerous to livestock, pets, and people. However, very few wolves attack humans. There might be "some" isolated incidents, but which is usually the case in those, the wolf was only trying to protect itself from the invasion from the human. There have been some efforts to try to reintroduce the wolf back into the wild, but those efforts have been very controversial.

www.bearcountryusa.com...

Black German Shepherd:
www.flickr.com...
Many people don't realize German Shepherds can be all black. Most of the time we think of them as having tan on them.

Either of them look familiar?

I only have one other question. Why are you avoiding the police?

[edit on 4-1-2008 by saint4God]

yea its likely that it was a wolf i guess just the ju8mp was amazing ohh and we3 were avoiding the police cuz we had1 of our little prank nights lol

Headlines: "Pranksters Eaten by Wolf Hiding from Police!"

Yeah, come to think of it, wolves are better leapers than dogs typically. I can imagine how quick and far he must've gone when his hideout was discovered. I wonder though, being that it was by itself if it was in fact a 'she'. And the she, perhaps expecting puppies? The hiding, isolation, quick flight makes sense in that case. Wolves are on the endangered list, so it's uncommon for us to see them...though certainly not impossible.

At the time, were you wearing a red hoodie and carrying a basket of goodies? O_o



[edit on 4-1-2008 by saint4God]

i highly doubt it was a wolf unless it was an escaped animal from somewhere. there are no wolves in pa. first off you say it was night and in a rural area so it was dark. i live in poconos pa and even tho not that rural it gets dark in the woods. second if it was that dark there would be no way to make a positive id (esp on a dork animal)even with a full moon. what you saw was someones pet or even a wild dog such as a shepherd or a lab. now if you had claimed it to be a mountain lion i would agree it could have been

Are you anywhere near Clymer Pa, in Indiana County? East of Pittsburgh. My friend saw something that was like a large dog coming out of the Twolick creek beside the bridge in Clymer. He claims that it's back was higher than his window, with black curley hair. To me it sounds like a large breed of dog, but he still states that it was more wild, and "wolfish".

oh and coyotes can be black and jump well also and are very common and can get pretty big

no poconos in in the ne part. you sure it wasn't a bear? unless he has really low windows i doubt it was a wolf they don't stand that tall lol

what i seen was in the york area lol like i said i dont know what it was but that thing flew

I am almost positive that this was a cougar. I've seen cougars get kind of big and they can definitely jump excessive distances. I live just north of you and a cougar has been attacking newborn deer around here. They aren't black per se, but out of the couple I have seen, one was a very dark, almost mangy brown. At night I probably could have called it black.

lol yeah that cpuld be it but i didnt think cougars got that big it was like the size of a large german shepard

right on santa claus! altho cougars don't get a black phase but like i said before anything somewhat dark in the night will appear black. and unique -cougars can get quite large- 2nd largest cat in north america. i am a huge hunter and angler and have heard from many people that they have seen one. for years the game commission has denied any chance they live in pa until finally the usfws stepped in and took over control of the issue. suddenly the commission comes out with a statement that they are "undetermined" in pa but the usfws is asking that any reports be sent directly to them and NOT thru the game commission. whether or not there is any breeding population who knows?
and with it being night and you being startled you may have misjudged the size and distance the animal jumped- very common. most everything will seem bigger and farther in the dark

I believe that what you saw was a Coyote. Back in the late 80's, early 90's, the PA Game Commision brought them to PA to assist in culling the ever growning deer herds. Something went awry and now we have them all over PA. I've shot a couple of them in the past.

Keep in mind that these creatures are as dangerous as any wolf. If you back them into a corner, they will come out fighting. I had an incident a few years ago when I was walking down the fire road in Huntingdon County. There was a group of people on horseback coming the opposite direction and out he came from the woods onto the dirt road. He was about 15-20 yards away. He looked at them, then looked at me, and came full force growling and acting like a lunatic. At about 25 feet I had to dispatch him with my 9mm. Thank the lucky stars I brought it with me that day. I thought it was either him or me and I decided it wasn't my day.