The creature
The Rochester Rat-Dog is a creature that has been repeatedly sighted over a period of 2 years by a woman named Gwen Byrd and her family in Rochester, NY.
She says she is afraid to go into parts of her home and that the creature may have dug tunnels into her walls. She knows it lives under her home, but not its full extent on her property, and fears it may pose a threat to her. It was first photographed by her granddaughter Chardine'e Hunt emerging from her house on Flora Street. It is described as a large, hairless rodent-like creature, covered in wrinkles. Byrd continually fills in the creature's holes in a vain attempt to stop it. In an effort to identify the odd creature, Byrd has reached out to Vera Gorbunova, an associate professor in the biology department at the University of Rochester.
According to Gorbunova: “I am very puzzled by this animal, and so are my colleagues. It looks like a large hairless rodent, but we cannot identify it from the picture.” Gorbunova promptly visited Byrd’s home, hoping to see the beast and, if possible, capture it for further study: “It was gone by the time I got there. I did see the holes it is making. It is believable to me… if it is a new species, that is really, really exciting. If it really is a mutation, it could be the first time for something like this.” Seneca Park Zoo Director Larry Sorel, after looking at the photo, suggested that it could be a hairless groundhog, but eyewitnesses insist that this animal does not waddle like a groundhog or hop like a squirrel. Most terrifyingly, according to Byrd, the creature also appears to be fearless: “It will not run or anything. It is not scared of me when I see it. I am scared of it.”
The frightened and frazzled Byrd said she has “endured a nightmare” and has holes in the ground and a photo to prove it: “Nobody knows what it is… it’s the nightmare on Flora Street. Why me?”
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