Dobhar-chu

From The Book of THoTH (Leaves of Wisdom)

The Dobhar-chu (also known as the "dobhar-chú", "dobarcu", "doyarchu", and "dhuragoo") is a creature of Irish folklore and a cryptid. Dobhar-chu is roughly translated into "water hound." It resembles both a dog and an otter. It lives in water and has fur with protective properties. The Kinlough Stone is claimed to be the headstone of a grave of a woman killed by the Dobhar-chu and shows an old drawing of the creature.

This odd and dangerous creature supposedly lurks, or lurked, beneath the depths of some of the Irish lakes. The creatures' length is believed to be from 6 to 8 feet from head to tail. It comes in various colors, one phenotype is described as white with short fur, and has features quite like an otter and has a black or dark brown "cross-like" mark that runs down its neck and back.

This creature is supposedly very hostile, and will attack without warning. The creatures have been recorded to have killed several people -- one such record is written on a stone tablet in Glenade, County Leitrim:

On September 27, 1722, a woman named Grace was killed by a Dobhar-chu, while washing clothes in Glenade Lake. When her husband came to find her, he found instead a Dobhar-chu sitting on her bloody clothes and mutilated body. He killed the beast, stabbing it in the heart. As it died, it made a noise like a whistle. It's supposed mate rose from the water and chased the man and his friend. They killed it before it got the chance to hurt either man.

Other stories show the beasts' taste for human flesh. One in particular tells how people mistook one for an otter. It attacked one man, but did not succeed in killing him.

Dobhar-chu haven't been seen for a long time, and are believed to be extinct, if they existed at all. From www.cryptozoology.com

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