Comments on: To Die For? Not!

By: elroyjetsn

elroyjetsn — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 00:38:45 +0000

There is an interesting breed of dog that’s becoming more popular that’s almost hairless, the Chinese Crested. These dogs are very prone to running off when loose and getting lost. Our shelter takes in strays pretty regularly. They get badly sunburnt if left outside for long periods causing the skin to become very distorted and scared in extreme cases looking like advanced mange. They are somewhat small dogs, but if crossbred will no doubt pass on the hairless trait in some frequency.

The Texas specimen has bares a close resemblence in general form to a Chinese Crested though somewhat larger. Cresteds can have large canines, too. Just Google “ugliest dog” to see what a badly sunburnt CC looks like. Skin cancers may have killed the dog in the photos, very likely the case.

By: cryptidsrus

cryptidsrus — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 20:44:02 +0000

Graybear and Sirupapers DO make a point. Thye might be on to something that this may be a HYBRID.
Still a significant discovery. Maybe not for the evening news but still important. Let’s test this.
Had not thought Doberman Pinscher. Good call.

By: dabode

dabode — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 22:52:49 +0000

Excellent comment graybear and pressure isn’t maintaining it is a chupa but possibly an undocumented species or as graybear suggests a hybrid but certainly not a chupcabras.

By: D2K4

D2K4 — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 22:07:42 +0000

You know, now that I look at it, I’m betting this is a doberman. The snout, cropped ears, apparent lack of a tail-I bet that’s what it turns out to be.

Still, something strange is going on with all these near identical animals. Either a really bad mange epidemic has hit Texas or there is a new species/mutation out there.

By: dogu4

dogu4 — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 10:38:55 +0000

It’s funny that you connect this article with the movie Mondo Cane and this song, More. What a contrast. In case there are any dog lovers out there who think a move called “mondo cane” must be about dogs, I warn the would-be movie viewer that by the standards of 1963 it was a shocker, though by today’s standards it would be considered merely “graphic” and has nothing to do with dogs except in the metaphorical sense.

By: Dan Gannon

Dan Gannon — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 06:18:28 +0000

Uriah,

Good point. I don’t see anything that distinguishes this specimen, from a dead Doberman Pinscher. Chupacabra(s)? Please…

By: SIRUPAPERS

SIRUPAPERS — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 20:09:31 +0000

There have already been DNA tests done on these canids (not this dog in question, but others that have been collected). The results show that these creatures ARE a hybrid of coyotes and other stray pets, which is not to say that these finds aren’t important. They are unusual and as I’ve mentioned in an earlier post the usual “mange” explanation for a lack fur seem ridiculous. One or two cases with such an extreme version of the disease I’ll buy, but so many spread over the entire south (though centered in Texas) seems more than just mange. I think we have a new breed of “coydog”, one that has become rather successful judging by its range. Seeing this new breed emerge and how it has managed to go unnoticed for so long makes them a perfect case study for dealing with other cryptids.
Also, while I don’t believe these hybrids are Chupacabras I believe they have been given the name because the phrase has become so popular lately and is used for ANY unknown animal. Just as any unknown hominid is a “bigfoot” any unknown predator in Texas is a “chupacabra”. The fact that people are recognizing these creatures from past sightings made by their father and grandfather is important because it shows this breed has been around for a long time and has gone unnoticed until now. Regardless of the name given these canids are important and we should regard them as such.

By: cryptidsrus

cryptidsrus — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 19:59:47 +0000

I’m pretty sure it’s a Dog, also—

But I agree with Pressure—let’s make sure with DNA testing, Ok?

Like the Telegraph list. Except for the “Aliens”. Ohhhk.

By: Uriah

Uriah — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 19:06:35 +0000

It’s ears look cropped to me. You don’t see triangle ears like that on any canine except ones that have been cropped by people.

By: graybear

graybear — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 17:41:22 +0000

It’s a dog. The dentition and gross morphology are pure canine. Possibly it’s a coyote/dog mix which has thrown up a hybrid that is more susceptible to mange or other skin diseases. Or maybe these hairless dogs are a new hybrid that is naturally hairless.
Either way, though, it’s still a dog. Remember the Maine Mutant? Dog. Some of the earlier Chupacabras sightings and bodies which looked very similar to this one? Dogs.
A lot of people who contribute to this site seem to have an inflated idea of the effectiveness of DNA testing and a very UNDERinflated idea of the price for it. DNA testing can be expensive, folks, and even when it is done properly, it can’t yield results that are all that conclusive, sometimes. Remember all the MonsterQuest DNA test results that came back ‘Inconclusive’? Bummer if you are the one paying for it.
And even if DNA testing is done on the animal, it will come back either ‘DOG’ or ‘Inconclusive’. There is no base line DNA for ‘Chupacabras’ so it cannot be the conclusion of the test
And unless you want to get really expensive in the DNA test category, you’ll never get a rundown of just exactly what kind of dog, coyote, wolf is in the ancestry of the bodies that are coming to light. So who is going to foot the bill that everyone seems ready to demand, but no one seems ready to pay?
Personally, I think that these people that find the Maine Mutants, washed up raccoons, have Chupacabras in the freezer, etc. are fooling themselves out of a need to find that the unusual and exotic is present in their own lives. A lot of people want to have the paranormal and the special close at hand and will twist ordinary reality to have it.
This is not to say that I don’t believe in the unusual, exotic, paranormal and special. I do, to the extent that my own personal beliefs can tolerate. But by definition the unusual, exotic, paranormal and special are RARE. The everyday (which contains an awful lot of the unusual, exotic, etc.) is the norm and always will be, because it IS the everyday. Cryptids are rare or they wouldn’t be cryptids, they’d be pets and barnyard animals. So until someone finds a Chupacabras in their garage or barn, standing on two legs, with red eyes and spines on its back, let’s let the dead dogs rest in peace.