Jon Solo Sebastian 01/19/2025:
As my trek through Ohio folktales and cryptids continue, how can I not do one on the Dogman of Defiance, also known as the Werewolf of Defiance? He was first spotted in 1972 where he allegedly attacked a railway worker with a 2×4 wooden board before running off into the woods. Why does a werewolf need a 2×4 when it could just use its massive strength and/or claws? Maybe he’s just a fan of legendary wrestler Hacksaw Jim Duggan; though Hacksaw didn’t make his wrestling debut until 1979. Whatever the reason; he brought a scare—and some laughter by skeptics, to the town of Defiance.
“I got my first real sighting
Of a werewolf, bro it was super huge
It attacked me with a piece of wood
In the summer of ‘72”
That doesn’t have the same catchiness to it as Bryan Adams’ hit song: Summer of ’69, but there’s a folk punk band from Defiance that I’m sure could turn it into a hit. Perhaps the lyrics I just whipped up on the fly were exactly what the railway worker said to the police when he told them what happened to him that night.
What exactly happened the night of the first sighting?
In the summer of 1972, railway worker, Ted Davis reported to the police that he had been attacked by a werewolf. Late one night, he was hooking the train cars to each other when he heard a noise. He looks over to see two large and hairy feet or paws on the ground. He looks up from there to see a six or seven foot tall creature with dog-like features staring at him. The beast was in a hunching position with its arms outward. One of its claws/hands was holding a wooden board; likely a 2×4. Ted was too scared to react, and the beast hit Ted with the board before it ran away. Personally, I find it strange for the beast to be carrying a wooden board, and then running away from the man after hitting him with it. Wouldn’t a werewolf be taking its attack much further than this? It doesn’t feel like a real werewolf attack, but then again, what do we really know about real werewolves? They may not even really exist—I know, I know, that’s terrible thing to say!
A few days after the first sighting, Ted and a coworker were linking the train cars together again, and they spotted the werewolf lurking in the bushes watching them from afar. This time, it made no attempt to go near them and it ran away, instead. They filed a police report together, which sparked the police to take the sightings more seriously. A third sighting was reported shortly after. This time, a man driving home from work one night had the creature run in front of his car. The sightings created panic in the town, though some folks thought it was a joke or hoax.
Witnesses and newspapers started reporting sightings all over town of the wolfman. He was roughly six foot tall, bipedal, mangy, wolf or dog-like features, furry, hunched over, and wearing jeans. Did the wolfman wear Wranglers or Levi jeans? Some folks in the town talked of shooting the werewolf if they saw him, and the police had to try to put an end to the hysteria before someone got hurt.
They allegedly put the idea out into the public that he was more than likely a person dressed up as a werewolf. The newspapers ran with the idea, and by the end of the summer, sightings began to slow down. Does that mean there was some truth to it, or is it possible the werewolf changed back to human-form after the summer ended?
Considering no real harm came to anyone, I would put my finger on it being a person in a costume who just wanted to cause a ruckus, but the truth behind the Werewolf of Defiance has never been revealed, so it’s hard to say whether it was a hoax or if the costume reports were just a cover up. What do you think?
jonsolosebastian.org 