Girt dog of Ennerdale

The Girt Dog of Ennerdale (also known as the Vampire Dog of Ennerdale or Demon Dog of Ennerdale) was a dog believed to have killed between 300 and 400 sheep over a four-month period in the fells of Cumberland, England, in 1810.[1][2] The dog was a mongrel,[3] variously described as a "large, brindled, tiger-striped dog"[2] and "a smooth haired dog of a tawny mouse-colour, with dark streaks in tiger-fashion over its hide."[3] Its origins are uncertain, although it was speculated that the dog had escaped from "some gipsy troop"[3] and was perhaps a cross between a mastiff and a greyhound.[3]

The dog was first observed by Thornholme resident Mr Mossop on 10 May 1810, and began killing and eating local sheep shortly afterwards.[3] In September 1810, the dog was shot and killed by John Steel, a resident of Asby.[3] Until the late 1800s, the animal's taxidermied skin was on display in the Hutton's Museum at Keswick, Cumbria.[2]

References
  1. Terry Marsh (9 September 2010). A Northern Coast to Coast Walk: From St Bees Head to Robin Hood's Bay. Cicerone Press Limited. pp. 34–. ISBN 978-1-84965-150-9. Retrieved 24 November 2012.
  2. Bradley, A.G. (June 1926). "The Demon Dog of Ennerdale". The English Review: 836–841.
  3. The Story of the Wild Dog of Ennerdale: Reprinted from the Whitehaven Herald. Whitehaven, England: Callander & Dixon. 1864.
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