# the Ghost Dog of Fairbanks. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 14, 2006, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ghost-dog-of-fairbanks/356687 "2006-05-14T00:36:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![KlondikeGeoff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3e96dc/32.png) [@KlondikeGeoff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KlondikeGeoff)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2006, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ghost-dog-of-fairbanks/356687/1 "2006-05-14T00:36:52Z")
In the spring of 1946 I was stationed in Fairbanks, Alaska. This was during my hard drinking days, and a good thing too, as everybody else there was engaged in the same pursuit. I was trying to find my way back to camp from a cabin in downtown Fairbanks (don’t ask) about 2 AM. It was raining hard, there was a dense fog and it was quite a distance to the base. I’m sorry, but it WAS a dark and stormy night. ``` I was wandering around, totally lost, having no idea even in what ``` direction I was supposed to go. It was very quiet and somewhat eerie. An immense white dog suddenly appeared. I called to him, as I usually do to any dog I see, and he came right over and greeted me. I scratched his ears and told him to take me home. He promptly set off, with me following. I tagged along behind him for several miles, and lo and behold, the next thing I knew I was at the main gate of Ladd Field. ``` It was still quite some distance to my billet. While I was trudging ``` along in the rain, a car stopped. An officer asked if I wanted a lift. Still being a few sheets to the wind, I told him sure, but only if my dog could come too. He looked a bit dubious, but agreed, only asking me to try to keep him off the seat. Both of us, dripping wet, climbed into the back seat and he dropped us off at my Quonset hut. ``` I took the dog into the hut, collapsed on my bunk and was out. When ``` I awoke the next morning, I vaguely recalled the dog, but upon looking about saw no sign of him. I wondered if perhaps I’d dreamed the entire episode, so I asked my buddy if he’d seen a big white dog. ``` "My God," he exclaimed, "was that your dog?" "Sure," I responded, "Why?" Well, it appears that when the rest of the guys in the hut awoke and ``` started to move about, the dog commenced snarling and growling at them. He cornered them at one end of the hut. One guy finally crawled out a window, came around to the door and opened it. The dog gave a final snarl, turned on his heel (heels?) and stalked out the door with great dignity. ``` After cleaning up, I went over to the mess hall to get some coffee ``` and saw the place was completely disrupted, with knots of people standing around talking. Asking what happened, I was told the following story: shortly before, a monstrous white dog stalked into the mess hall, growled and threatened everybody, walked over to the coffee urns and lapped up coffee from the overflow tray. He then proceeded to the serving line and helped himself to several servings of eggs, bacon and rolls. One cook made the mistake of flinging rolls and pans at him. The dog started after him, growling fiercely, and the mess hall emptied. Only after the dog finished his repast, did he leave the mess hall and start down the road, the last he was seen. ``` Someone called the MPs. I tried to explain what happened, but they ``` were skeptical. They did, however, give me a ride around the base trying to find the dog, with no success. I still find it astonishing that he was so friendly to me, that somehow he mysteriously got me back to camp, yet was so vicious toward everybody else with whom he came in contact. For months afterwards, whenever I was in Fairbanks, I looked for him, but neither I nor anybody else ever saw him again. I don’t know why, but people tended to look at me oddly for some time afterward. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2006, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ghost-dog-of-fairbanks/356687/2 "2006-05-14T12:06:37Z")
OK. Local Werewolf chick thought you were hawt. No big deal. ---
**Author:** ![LiveOnAPlane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3d9bf3/32.png) [@LiveOnAPlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LiveOnAPlane)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2006, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ghost-dog-of-fairbanks/356687/3 "2006-05-14T13:28:14Z")
Coulda been, but most probably was one of the Wolfen. In any case, I concur with **Bosda.** ---
**Author:** ![KlondikeGeoff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3e96dc/32.png) [@KlondikeGeoff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KlondikeGeoff)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2006, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ghost-dog-of-fairbanks/356687/4 "2006-05-14T14:59:13Z")
> [@Bosda Di'Chi of Tricor](#): > > OK. > Local Werewolf chick thought you were hawt. > No big deal. Ah ha! Glad to finally learn. Good thing she did not bite me. Maybe she did, I was wondering why I have had to shave my palms all this time. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2006, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ghost-dog-of-fairbanks/356687/5 "2006-05-14T15:39:05Z")
I’m impressed that it would eat Army chow. ---
**Author:** ![Batsinma\_Belfry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@Batsinma\_Belfry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Batsinma_Belfry)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2006, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ghost-dog-of-fairbanks/356687/6 "2006-05-14T19:33:28Z")
I thought you were going to say you met up with the MP that gave you a ride, and he said he didn’t see a dog. ---
**Author:** ![KlondikeGeoff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3e96dc/32.png) [@KlondikeGeoff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KlondikeGeoff)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2006, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ghost-dog-of-fairbanks/356687/7 "2006-05-14T20:04:49Z")
> [@Batsinma Belfry](#): > > I thought you were going to say you met up with the MP that gave you a ride, and he said he didn’t see a dog. Ha, that would have been scary. But as dozens of others saw the mystical beast, suppose that would not have mattered. I’m going to stick with the werewolf theory for a while. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Hung\_Mung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e4f/32.png) [@Hung\_Mung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hung_Mung)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2006, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ghost-dog-of-fairbanks/356687/8 "2006-05-14T20:08:27Z")
Ah, but he forgot this part: When he and the MP finished driving around and got out of the car, there, hanging from the door handle… WAS THE HOOK! WooooOOOooooo :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2006, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ghost-dog-of-fairbanks/356687/9 "2006-05-14T20:37:44Z")
> [@Bosda Di'Chi of Tricor](#): > > OK. > Local Werewolf chick thought you were hawt. > No big deal. Gems like this near-haiku are why I keep coming back to this place. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2006, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ghost-dog-of-fairbanks/356687/10 "2006-05-14T20:44:55Z")
> [@KlondikeGeoff](#): > > Ah ha! Glad to finally learn. Good thing she did not bite me. Maybe she did, I was wondering why I have had to shave my palms all this time. 😃 No-no-no. You have hairy palms for _another_ reason. And you oughtta be ashamed. 😃 If the Were-Lady visited more often, you _probably wouldn’t have them!_ 😃😃😃 ---
**Author:** ![KlondikeGeoff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3e96dc/32.png) [@KlondikeGeoff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KlondikeGeoff)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2006, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ghost-dog-of-fairbanks/356687/11 "2006-05-14T22:15:20Z")
> [@Bosda Di'Chi of Tricor](#): > > You have hairy palms for _another_ reason. > And you oughtta be ashamed. 😃 Well, maybe, but at least I never went blind.