It’s Friday, so it’s the perfect time for a story about a mysterious “wolf-like creature” shot in Montana that has people talking about the “Dogman” conspiracy and the continued existence of a prehistoric species of wolves.

“We have no idea what this was until we get a DNA report back,” said Bruce Auchly, information manager for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, of the wolf-like animal shot near a ranch in Montana. “It was near a rancher’s place, it was shot, and our game wardens went to investigate. The whole animal was sent to our lab in Bozeman. That’s the last I ever heard of it.”

The Great Falls Tribune reports that the creature, which “at this point, no one is 100 percent sure” how to identify, was shot and killed on May 16 on a ranch outside of Denton. “With long grayish fur, a large head and an extended snout, the animal shared many of the same characteristics as a wolf; but its ears were too large, it’s legs and body too short, its fur uncharacteristic of that common to a wolf,” the Tribune reports.

Social media in Lewistown exploded with theories over the creature last week, with some saying it was a starved “grizzly cub,” others suggesting it was a descendent of prehistoric dire wolves, and others going right over the conspiracy cliff with the “Dogman” theory.

“That could very well be what’s being called Dogman,” one person speculated. “They’re spotted each day and the government quells any and all reports. Several people report being strong armed into keeping quiet about their reports by men wearing black suits. These are just facts. Look into if if you don’t believe it.” (Read more from “Check out These Pics of the ‘Wolf-Like Creature’ Shot in Montana” HERE)

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It weathered and hardened from gray-black to a leathery brown. From a distance, as professionals and students walked past the tree at the west end of Palmer Square Park to trains and buses each morning, it could have been mistaken for a hanging length of bark. But within 10 feet, it was clearly something else: a footlong tongue.

Why was a tongue, likely a cow’s, so carefully disfigured and displayed near the luxury apartments and condominiums in rapidly gentrifying Logan Square? In a neighborhood that’s now home to loads of 20-something hipsters, it could be an elaborate performance art piece or a joke.

But Logan Square and nearby Humboldt Park have much longer histories as working-class enclaves filled with first- and second-generation immigrants, so another possibility presents itself.

Tongues have long played roles in Afro-Caribbean religions like Santeria. The symbolic engine of speech, a tongue can be used in many such faiths to try to get someone to remain silent, according to Lisa Poirier, an assistant professor of religious studies at DePaul University.

“Often it has to do with a court case,” Poirier said. “You can take a tongue and bind it up to get someone to shut up.” (Read more from “Animal Tongue Nailed to Tree in Chicago Sending a Message?” HERE)

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…Most dog lovers have no idea how their animals cope once they have been left alone.

Now scientists have revealed how dogs spend up to half an hour howling, barking and whining after their owner leaves them alone . . .

The first few minutes of isolation are the most stressful for a dog, according to the researchers.

Alice Potter, a pet scientist at the RSPCA, told MailOnline: ‘The separation reaction is displayed soon after the departure of the owner, normally commencing within 30 minutes, and often within the first few minutes.’

‘The most common behavioural signs of seperation-related behaviour are destructive behaviour often targeted at the door the owner leaves through, various types of vocalisations (howling, barking and whining), defecating and urinating. (Read more from “What Happens When You Leave Your Dog at Home Alone” HERE)

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Some denizens of America’s great cities probably wouldn’t mind a visit from the Pied Piper right about now.

Several major U.S. cities—including Boston, Chicago, New York and Washington, D.C.— have seen significant surges in rat complaints from their residents in recent months, according to city data reviewed by USA TODAY.

Grousing about rats has long been city-dweller sport, but the long-tailed, sharp-toothed nuisances have now become so populous and so aggressive that some cities are getting creative in their efforts to stay ahead of rodents even as some frustrated city residents are increasingly taking matters into their own hands.

In Chicago, which historically notches more rat complaints than any other city, residents’ reports of rodent activity rose by about 70% in the first quarter of 2016 compared to the same period last year.

With the city on pace to shatter the more than 41,000 complaints it received in 2012, Mayor Rahm Emanuel recently acknowledged in a radio interview that rats in the Windy City have become “a real problem.” (Read more from “Rats! Several Big U.S. Cities Seeing Surge in Rodent Complaints” HERE)

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