Alleged footprint of Dogman-like cryptid in North Central Idaho woods. Pic credit: Joshua Campbell/Bigfoot Believers Facebook
A man reported that he and his family had a terrifying encounter with a mysterious Dogman-like cryptid while staying in a rental cabin in North Central Idaho.
User Joshua Campbell took to the Bigfoot Believers Facebook group on Sunday (February 4) to share a detailed account of the alleged encounter. He said the creature looked like a cross between a hyena, a dog, and a human (scroll down to see the full image of an alleged footprint).
The chilling account sparked a debate on Facebook. Many believed the cryptid was not a Bigfoot. Debate raged without a consensus between those who said it was a Dogman and those who said it was a Navajo Skinwalker.
Idaho family rented a cabin in the woods
According to Campbell, he and his family rented a cabin in an undisclosed location in North Central Idaho and arrived late on December 26, 2023.
His kids had been playfully looking forward to an encounter with a Bigfoot, but Campbell only joked about it because he was not a believer.
Later in the day, after unloading their stuff and his wife was preparing dinner, he took their dog for a walk “to do his business.”
The cabin was off the road. Behind it was a wilderness with trails running deep into the woods.
He walked the dog toward the road. As they walked, he heard sounds from the other side. It resembled someone chopping wood in the forest.
It struck him as odd because he didn’t expect anyone chopping wood at night “in the middle of nowhere” late in December when snow covered the ground.
The chopping noise stopped for about two minutes and then started again, louder.
Dogman footprint in North Central Idaho woods? Pic credit: Joshua Campbell via Bigfoot Believers Facebook
Bigfoot tree knocks?
It occurred to him that the chopping sound could be the legendary Sasquatch tree knock. Although he wasn’t a Bigfoot believer, he’d heard about the alleged Sasquatch tree-knock behavior.
According to Bigfoot lore, Sasquatch often beat sticks or wood against trees to communicate with their fellows at night.
As they walked along, his dog began growling and whimpering like it was afraid of something ahead. The chopping noise stopped briefly, but when it stared again. It came closer followed by a loud crash.
His dog panicked. He picked him up and fled back to the cabin.
Strange noises in the dark
He had recovered from the shock in the morning and decided to explore the surrounding woods.
The outing was uneventful, so he dismissed the incident the night before, reassuring himself that he’d let his imagination run wild.
Later in the day, at dusk, while they were roasting marshmallows, they started hearing howling noises. At first, he ignored the noises, thinking they were wolves howling.
But the commotion came closer and closer.
They heard snarling, barking, and growling noises. They also heard scuffling as if an animal was being attacked and savaged.
His wife and children started fretting, and he told them to go indoors.
As he tried to extinguish the fire, he had heavy footfalls approaching and a tree branch snapping.
10-foot tall Dogman monster in the dark!
He was standing alone in the dark. So he tried to switch on his flashlight. He couldn’t figure out why it failed, so he backed quickly into the cabin, fearing a predator skulking around.
The family heard roaring and loud thumping. He ran upstairs to the balcony. His daughter joined him there. She showed him the switch to the lights near the treeline where the sounds came from.
When they switched on the lights, they saw a 10-foot-tall monster with a muzzle standing among the trees. It had long, sharp teeth, and its eyes flashed in the light.
The fearsome creature let out a roar. It stood for a few seconds before running back into the woods.
The sight terrified them, and his daughter screamed.
Footprints in a clearing
The frightened family slept in the same room that night. The following morning, he summoned the courage to search for evidence and found footprints (see image above).
Campbell said the creature resembled a mix between a hyena, a dog, and a human. He said it wasn’t what a Bigfoot was supposed to look like
Reactions of Facebook
Campbell’s description of the creature as resembling a mix of a doglike creature and a human suggested to enthusiasts that it was not a Bigfoot
Many suggested it was a Dogman, while others argued it was a Navajo Skinwalker.
“I think you saw a dogman. They are more aggressive,” a Facebook user responded.
“Wow! Sounds more like a Skinwalker or dog man,” another said.
“Sounds like a dogman!(Or Gugway/gugwe)… very aggressive!” a third wrote.
“Gugway/gugwe” was likely a variant spelling of Agogwe, an alleged Bigfoot-like cryptid native to East Africa.