Frostburg residents Jan and Kate Topple sounded the alarm early in the wee hours of the morning Thursday, April 1, sending neighbors scrambling for their flashlights, cameras, and in some cases shotguns as a motley crew of bedheads set out in search of a curious prowler.

“Well, it was Sparky that woke us up with his howling,” said Jan.  “We have one of those pet doors and he’s in and out the backdoor as he pleases, but I’ve never known him to go out at 2 am before.  He’s usually curled up beside us on the bed at that point.”

“You should have heard him,” added Kate.  “I didn’t even know he could howl!  But boy, his wail just shot me right out of bed.”

“Gave me goosebumps,” said Jan.  “All the hairs on my arms were standing full alert.”

Thinking their pooch in distress, the couple rushed to his rescue, so dumbfounded by the sight they witnessed that both wondered if perhaps they were still asleep sharing the same dream.

“There was Sparky, still howling up a storm,” said Kate.  “And not five feet away from him was this creature—“

“Must have been 12 feet tall,” interjected Jan.  “With amber colored fur and an ape like face.”

“And those feet,” said Kate.  “Well, that’s actually what I noticed first scanning the ground around Sparky. Must have been two feet long, they were huge!”

“They were something,” agreed Jan, “but I think it was the fact that this thing was wearing fancy black leather cowboy boots that most surprised me.”

Shocked to silenced, the couple raised their flashlight to get a closer look at the creature’s face.

“He just kinda gave us a lopsided grin and moved this huge, un-manicured hand in front of his face to block out the light.  Then he nodded to the dog and fled,” recalled Jan.

“Well, I wouldn’t say, ‘fled,’” countered Kate.  “More like he just ambled off.  I can still hear the clip clop of his cowboy boots as they echoed off the sidewalk.”

Worried that the creature may not be of a benevolent mind, the couple went door to door waking family and neighbors on Linden Street telling them what they’d seen.  It wasn’t long before an excited collection had gathered intent on tracking the creature quickly dubbed as Frostburg’s Fuzzy.

They brought cameras, flashlights, and even a few guns—just in case— and collectively headed to the dense woods South of town.  After four hours of fruitless searching, they decided to give up their quest and headed home to prepare for the workday ahead.

“It was so disappointing,” said Kate.  “Our crew didn’t catch so much of a glimpse of him.”

“But we’re certain he sought refuge in the woods,” Jan said.  “We found the unmistakable imprint of a cowboy boot on the wet soil.”

“Good thing too,” added Kate.  “If we hadn’t found such solid proof, our neighbors would surely think we’re crazy!”

Local officials urge residents to keep children and pets indoors this evening.  Lookouts will be posted all along the area between Linden Street and Lower Consol Road this evening.  And, as this story goes to press, the Frostburg Police Department is working with Frostburg State University’s Biology Department to make castings of the tell tale boot print.