Dog's Life

What is a Swamp Dog?

Swamp Dog, (noun) 1. a mythical creature in the folk tales of several aboriginal American tribes who dwell in the delta ares of major river systems. Stealth, cunning and the ability to adapt the colour of its fur to its surroundings are its most notable attributes. Alligator eggs and catfish are its primary sources of food. A shaggier version appears in tales and primitive art of the Algonquin, Cree and Ojibway tribes of Manitoba, Ontario and Saskatchewan, where its more hirsute appearance reflects the severity of the Canadian winter. This northern version of the creature preys on small mammals such as squirrel and water rats. Aboriginal warriors who could claim to have survived an encounter with a swamp dog were elaborately celebrated for their bravery at the next solstice. Despite many anecdotal claims to the contrary, no scientific evidence is available to confirm its existence. 2. a seemingly meek, middle-aged male office worker who dedicates disproportionate amounts of his leisure time to playing the electric guitar at high volume, thereby mutating into an aggressive purveyor of beat music, which is frequently accompanied by lewd gyrating and salacious language; in the plural, typically a duo with a combined age of at least 97. 3. a crude but highly potent distilled liquor, produced illegally in remote rural areas; long tolerated by the authorities but officially banned in North America since 1958 after it was found to induce lascivious behaviour among adolescent females.