The Girt Dog of Ennerdale (also known as the Vampire Dog of Ennerdale or Demon Dog of Ennerdale) was a dog believed to have killed between 300 and 400 sheep in the fells of Cumberland, England, from May to September 1810. [1] [2]
Killing spree
The dog was first observed by Thornholme resident Mr Mossop on 10 May 1810, and began killing and eating local sheep shortly afterwards. [3] Its origins are uncertain, although it was speculated that the dog had escaped from "some gipsy troop." [3] The dog was a mongrel, [3] variously described as a "large, brindled, tiger-striped dog" [2] and "a smooth haired dog of a tawny mouse-colour, with dark streaks in tiger-fashion over its hide." [3] Some suggested it may have been a cross between a mastiff and a greyhound. [3] One witness, Will Rotherby, who was knocked down by the beast, described it as lion-like. [4]
The Girt Dog of Ennerdale would usually kill livestock at night. [3] At the height of its killing spree, it killed seven or eight sheep in a single night, [3] sometimes devouring its victims while they were still alive. [3] According to one account, the dog would drink the sheep's blood directly from the jugular vein. [3] Throughout its killing spree, the dog was "never known to utter a vocal sound". [3] Although local residents would often chase the Girt Dog with their own hounds, these pursuits always proved fruitless and the dog usually returned to killing sheep within a few days. [3] Residents tried to lure the Girt Dog within shooting distance using bitches in heat, but without success. [3] Poisoning, too, was also attempted, but abandoned to avoid accidentally poisoning the locals' own dogs. [3] As the Girt Dog continued to evade hunters, it became a popular topic of conversation in Ennerdale and Kinniside, and newspapers reported its movements. [3] The dog was nicknamed the "Worrying Dog of Ennerdale". [3]
Willy Jackson, a resident of Swinside, saw the Girt Dog 30 yards (27 m) away, urinating on a thistle, but his rifle shot missed. [3] John Russell, who owned a brewery in Whitehaven and a sheep farm in Ennerdale, offered a £10 reward for the dog's capture, dead or alive. [3] One morning in July 1810, 200 men and their hounds hunted Girt Dog over the Kinniside dells, but the day-long pursuit was unsuccessful. [3] On another occasion, a hunting party passed by the Ennerdale church during a Sunday morning service, leading many male churchgoers, and possibly even the Reverend Mr Ponsonby, to abandon the congregation and join the hunt. [3] Anthony Atkinson spotted the Girt Dog resting beside a grassy hedge; he struck it with three bullets but could not bring it down. [3]
On 12 September 1810, the dog was finally shot and killed by John Steel, a resident of Asby. [3] Its carcass weighed 8 imperial stones (51 kg). [3]
Aftermath
Following the dog's death, the mass sheep killings in the region stopped. [3] Until the late 1800s, the animal's taxidermied skin was on display in the Hutton's Museum at Keswick, Cumbria. [2] [3]
References
- ^ Terry Marsh (9 September 2010). A Northern Coast to Coast Walk: From St Bees Head to Robin Hood's Bay. Cicerone Press Limited. pp. 34–. ISBN 978-1-84965-150-9. Retrieved 24 November 2012.
- ^ a b c Bradley, A.G. (June 1926). "The Demon Dog of Ennerdale". The English Review: 836–841.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x The Story of the Wild Dog of Ennerdale: Reprinted from the Whitehaven Herald. Whitehaven, England: Callander & Dixon. 1864.
- ^ Eberhart, George M. (2002). "Alien Big Dog". Mysterious Creatures: A Guide to Cryptozoology: Volume 2. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO. p. 10. ISBN 1576072835.