YEAR: near 1983

SEASON: Summer

MONTH: July

DATE: unknown

STATE: Arizona

COUNTY: Coconino County

LOCATION DETAILS: We had a lab. He was very dull between the ears. Not afraid of anything and wanted to follow me everywhere. I found him all the way in the back of the tent shivering from freight. He refused to leave the tent on these occasions and fought me to stay inside the tent.

NEAREST TOWN: between sedona and flagstaff

NEAREST ROAD: 89A

OBSERVED: My family at the time where very much into the whole camping thing. And to this day I still hunt and fish whenener the opportunity presents itself. We went somewhere in the Aok Creek Canyon, Slide rock area and camped along the river. As usual I took off on my own too fish. I was fishing along the bank. ehind me the forest my heavily treed with dense under brush. I heard footsteps. Not your typical steps, but HEAVY thumping steps. When I turned to look I saw nothing and the thumping seemed to stop. When I decided I to get bak to the more serious business of trout fishing I heard it again. I looked around again and this time when It stopped I heard very heavy deep breathing. I was scared to and flattened my back against a tree, trying to peer around I searched for the source of the noise, but could not locate it. I waited, I tried to make myself small, I was only 13. I stayed still for 20 minutes, my back pressed flat against the tree trying to look around without moving much. All the while I could hear that thumping walking sound and sometimes breathing. It sounded soooooooo close. Finally it stopped. I regained some courage. Shrugged it off as my very good imagination and started fishing again, but I was still nervous. I felt "watched". Again the thumping and breathing. And this time to my left I saw it. A shadow in the dark woods, but an unmistakable one. I saw a dark brown, black body. Maybe three inch fur. Shaggy looking. Six to seven feet tall. Moving away and at an angle. Approximately 35 to 40 feet away. As soon as I saw him he was gone. The woods where thick.

OTHER WITNESSES: We had a lab that was very dull between the ears. He would follow me everywhere if I let him. He was not well trained and could be a handful. He feared nothing. Several times during the night and once during the day I found him all the was in the back of the tent shivering uncontrollably in the back of the tent and refusing to come out. Infact when I tried to force the issue a little bit he fought me and remained inside the tent scared and shaking.

TIME AND CONDITIONS: midday to late afternoon

ENVIRONMENT: forest, lots of undergrowt

Follow-up investigation report:

During an interview, the witness added the following detail:

- the encounter was brief but very close. The animal was actually in view for about 3 to 4 seconds.

- the animal had a different, lighter coloration around its face.

- it walked bipedally, with slightly bent knees. It walked smoothly and quickly.

- the witness believes the animal knew he was there and was not threatened by him.

- it clearly was not a human or a bear. It was more slight than the animal in the famed Patterson film, perhaps weighing 400 pounds. It had a human like nose.

- during the period when the animal was behind him in the brush, unseen, and the witness was hearing footsteps and breathing, two or three other people walked by. While these people were walking by the breathing and stepping sounds momentarily ceased.

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