I like the expert witnesses.

"Mike O'Donnell, who is married to Michelle O'Donnell, said the animal looked "half-rodent, half-dog" to him."

They said that DNA tests suggested Wolf/Dog hybrid....
By the looks of the pics...that is highly likely.

I honestly don't see what the big "mystery" is. Obviously, very few people have much knowledge of dogs these days, do they? It's a black Chow-Chow, with typical Chow conformation, including the shortened tibia which results in the breed's characteristic stilted gait. It also has the bluish tongue typical of the breed. I don't know who their DNA "expert" is, but there is absolutely nothing "rare" about wolf x dog "hybrids"; they are a dime a dozen in many areas, and since wolves and dogs are genetically indistinguishable from each other, and are in fact the same species, it is not possible to determine if a dog is a "wolf x dog hybrid". Since Chows are a primitive breed, they DO in fact show more in common with wolves than would, say, a Bloodhound or a Bichon, but so would Akitas, Nowegian Elkhounds, Malamutes, etc. I see no particularily "wolfish" characteristics about this dead dog; it just looks like an ordinary, pet-quality, backyard-bred Chow to me, but you know Fox News-gotta have that sensationalism.

Sharon McKenzie

sharon, i also thought young chow or chow cross when i saw the pics. not to mention, how decaying flesh will sag and make things look strange.

Yeah, a lot of people fail to consider the effects of having encountered several thousand pounds of metal and rubber moving at 55+ miles-per-hour, as well as the effects of decay, scavengers, and post mortem desication on the appearance of something. Some of the statements made by people who saw the dead animal, like "goat x sheep hybrid" or "dog x rodent hybrid" were so ludicrous, but then I guess with more people living without animals these days, and depending on the news media for their "enlightenment", I guess this appalling lack of knowledge about our fellow creatures is to be expected.

Sharon McKenzie

Al Gore thought it was Manbearpig. ;)

Mysterious???????? I saw the photo, and it is nothing more than a COMMON DOG. And like Sharon McKenzie said, it does look like a Chow. And it sure does'nt look anything like a rodent, not even half-rodent.

Where are the pics?

I didn't see any pictures, either - sounds like it's no big mystery, though.
Sherry

Here's a pic of the mystery road-kill:

Which part is the "half-rodent"? LOL Newspapers always seem to find the kooks first.

It does look like a Chow but if DNA results say there is some wolf in the lineage I guess there is. Wolf-Chow or a Chow-Wolf, who knows, but one thing I do know is I have a dog that is a chowhound:-) CT

I think it's an orindary Chow. FOX News interviewed a "cryptozoologist" who says it reminds him of a case many years ago where DNA analysis showed it was a wolf-dog. Cryptozoologists are basically professional legend tellers and the case from many years ago is probably an urban legend.

It's pretty deceptive reporting.

I guess with news and entertainment merging these days they've come to seeking out "cryptozoologists" instead of real scientists.

There is actually no way to determine if it's a domesticated dog vs. a wolf or a wolfxdog cross, since genetically, all dogs and wolves are the same species. Since 1993, the domesticated dog has been assigned the taxonomic status as Canis lupus familiaris, a subspecies of wolf. The dogs which exhibit the most genetic markers in common with wild wolves might surprise you, as they not only include breeds like the Akita and Chow-Chow, but also the Pekingnese! The poor dead doggie in those photos has much shorter legs than a purebred Chow(although many lines of Chow have been bred to be quite low to the ground these days), so it's probably got some Corgi or Dachshund or other short-legged breed in there as well. My father, for many years, owned a Chow-mutt that was identical to this dog, with the exception that he was red instead of black. He had that same bushy up-curled tail and blue-black tongue as a Chow, but short stubby little legs.

Sharon McKenzie

One thing where pretty sure of: It's a dog and not a mystery.

Ooops! One thing we're pretty sure of: It's a dog and not a mystery.

The only mystery is, how can so many people be so easily fooled?

It's nothing more than a dog. Whether it is part wolf or not, cannot be determined from the photo, but it doesn't look like it.

It would be interesting to know if any more animals have been killed in the area since the death of this dog.

Rodents cannot crossbreed with canines.

Kt

^^^You got that right!

What's the big mystery? Good grief, people are so easily led by sensationalism and hype it's not even funny. It seems to rule out all common sense.

It's a dog or some sort of canid cross. There is nothing 'rodent like' about that animal. And who in their right mind would honestly believe a dog/rodent cross would be genetically possible?

I concur with you all. This is just about bordering on the most incredibly stupid thing that I have ever heard pass for 'real news'.

It's Bigfoot's dog. Big Black Dog. heehee