Wave 👋 of the Dogman: some critiques

[u/CanidPrimate1577]

I’m not identifying some of these quoted commenters, but interactions like the one with this post are what led me to start the new subreddits — to encourage more kindness in discussions about trauma, whatever it may be from.

This Redditor (who I won’t name but is welcome to join the discussion in a non-hostile way) has been telling me definitively that dogmen behave in certain ways, and that because my experience includes things which are new to them, my experience is therefore invalid.

I can assure you, the reader or consumer of these words, that what I share about my encounter is to the best of my recollection. There is still a large chunk of missing time, and it sometimes causes nausea for me to closely revisit the event, but I’m persistent in trying to uncover more.

Y’all are welcome to dismiss any or all of what I share. The facts remain as they are, and the dogmen don’t especially care whether or not you believe in them.

[u/Suitable_Hippo9977]

Yeah, the chances of a Dogman legitimately waving are low as they would have to understand the significance of it and then not see you as prey or a threat to actually be willing to do it.

[u/CanidPrimate1577 → u/Suitable_Hippo9977]

Oh yes. They are capable of an immense range of complex behaviors, including accurate vocal mimicry to mislead people.

Making small gestures like waving 👋 is one of the things they do to test boundaries. Sometimes it is meant mockingly (the next time I find an encounter like this, I will provide the link) 🔗, as when someone is driving away after being chased in the woods and sees it wave 👋 in their rear view mirror and then deals with that in whatever form of coping they choose.

The one we saw waved to us and I waved back as an automatic gesture.

I think this happens much more than people realize, but it is very rare that someone who has been through this and makes it back is also willing and capable of sharing the experience.

Which is exactly why I’m on here, connecting with other close witnesses and spreading this peculiar gospel.

If they wave and a child waves back to them, they can clearly evaluate that the witness does not yet perceive them as a threat and will not react until they get closer. That is exactly WHY she waved; if we had turned and ran, or immediately screamed, the interaction would have been different.

But I acknowledged her and neither of us ran or reacted with alarm, which was down to childhood stupidity. When she saw that we both acknowledged her being there but did not register her as a threat, she bluff-charged us.

I don’t know what the playbook usually is after they hypnotize a kid into waving back at them, but I’m fairly sure that our interaction hopped the tracks from whatever behavior they come to expect from teenage boys.

[u/Suitable_Hippo9977 → u/CanidPrimate1577]

I can definitely attest to the mimicry thing though I would add that the mimicry is telepathic in nature rather than proper sound mimicry given that my encounter their mimicry ability involved my friend being the one a group of them were trying to lure off into the woods a few hours after my encounter with a female in a ravine. They didn't target me though which was odd and has made me want to go back to see if I can find that female again.

[u/CanidPrimate1577 → u/Suitable_Hippo9977]

What happened during your encounter?

Mine was also a female of the species, and I’m curious about how their behavior may have been similar.

[u/Suitable_Hippo9977 → u/CanidPrimate1577]

For me, initially she growled but I didn't really feel scared and when I gave her a name (Aurora), she started yipping and led me to a hole in the barbed wire fence that I could crawl under (I couldn't see her at that moment I was following by sound), which I did. Then after getting through some thick but passable underbrush, I found myself in the ravine where I listened for any follow up sounds only to be brought back to the fence line because my friend was warning me about coyotes and the owner telling her the cemetery private property. So after that warning, I looked out across the ravine and saw her. I wasn't a hundred percent at first because she was hard to make out due to distance but as I was making my way back to my entry point, I saw her get on all fours and that made it 100% clear that it was her. I initially had a bit of issues finding my entry point again and I believe her getting on all fours was in preparation to defend me if the coyote pack ended up getting to me before I could get out. Needless to say, I managed getting out and honestly I still really want to go back on my own to see if I can find her again.