Not a Chupacabra, just a feral Chow-Chow

BREITBART.COM - Expert: 'Hybrid' Creature Is Just a Dog:

"An expert who examined the remains of a mystery creature believes it was a wild dog. But that hasn't stopped runaway speculation about the beast and whether it was responsible for mauling dogs and frightening residents.

"Loren Coleman, a Portland author and cryptozoologist, said he didn't know for sure what the animal was based on his examination of its remains Wednesday.

"'I think this dead animal is a chow or chow-mix, a relatively small dog, that was feral, which is unusual for that area,' he told the Sun Journal newspaper. He noted, however, that his was only an educated guess based on the findings so far."

I wonder what sort of "expert" thinks a 60-pound Chow-Chow is a "relatively small dog." The natural condition of feral dogs, given several generations to breed and adequate environmental conditions, is to regress to the mean at about 40 pounds. While 60 pounds is not large compared to Great Danes, Mastiffs, Rottweilers, etc., it is in the range of pit bulls and larger than most household pets.

Too bad there is an easy, natural explanation. There's nothing like a good Chupacabra story to liven up the news in the "dog days" of summer.