Johnson: Do you believe in the Ozark Howler?

We get a lot of tips in the newsroom, but this has to be one of the best I've seen in a while.

"I believe two things in this world to be true, that Jesus Christ is my savior and that the Ozark Howler is real and living in the Arkansas mountains."

As the Outdoors reporter, I am of course fascinated with all the critters and creepy-crawlies we encounter in Missouri and Arkansas. And a quick Internet search reveals that the legendary Ozark Howler apparently is a thing folks have talked about for years.

The Ozark Howler tip came through the newspaper's email address, webeditor@news-leader.com, where we get all kinds of feedback and story ideas. This one was a doozy. And like they say, if there's no photo, it didn't happen.

Yep. There's a photo. Make that photos.

"Met some family in Devil's Den State Park this weekend for some camping," the tipster wrote. "We were up near Yellow Rock trail head this morning and saw this thing chase a squirrel up a tree and I have never seen anything like it. It had short black fur, a broad nose and horns like a young deer but it moved like a cat and had a long tail. Don't know what else it could be but the Howler. It was yelping and scratching at the tree and I got this pretty good photo when it stopped and turned to look at me. Wish I had video or more photos but it disappeared too fast....You can give me a call I'm an electrician so usually available to talk for a minute."

The Ozark Howler in the tipster's photo didn't quite fit the description of what others in Arkansas say they've seen. Most describe the animal as some form of oversized black cat, with a terrifying scream and horns growing from its head. There are glowing eyes. Shaggy, black bear-like fur.

Maybe our tipster confused it with the bloodthirsty chupacabra (a hairless, mangy coyote occasionally seen in Missouri) or Missouri's legendary Momo (Missouri monster) that has a large, pumpkin-shaped head, with a furry body, and hair covering the eyes, according to Wikipedia.

I turned to the News-Leader's Answer Man Steve Pokin, and even he was stumped about the Ozark Howler.

"It looks like a picture I would have taken," said Steve, known for photographing people with tree limbs and telephone poles seemingly growing out of their heads.

Now I'm going out on a limb here, but to me, our tipster's beast looks less like a mutant horned black mountain lion and more like a German shepherd pup with a badly done Photoshop haircut.

I could be wrong. John Meyers swears by his story.

Just minutes after we posted this story online, Meyers, the Ozark Howler tipster, sent me an email. And a phone number.

"I take exception that you're saying the photos were Photoshopped," Meyers, told me, clearly miffed. "I swear on the Lord these are not Photoshopped."

Meyers said he was camping at Devil's Den State Park and was adamant about seeing something strange chase a squirrel up a tree.

"I reacted like it was a fox or a wolf, just take some pictures and enjoy it," he said. "Since I was a little kid my grandpa took me camping out in the woods and told me about the Ozark Howler."

Upon seeing such a strange creature, was he scared? I asked.

"No. It was just minding its own business trying to catch a squirrel," Meyers said.

He acknowledged that his email account has been acting up in recent days, which is why my initial message to him bounced back. He said another news organization also had contacted him about his unusual encounter.

Who knows? Maybe there is a horned, squirrel-eating dog creature roaming the Arkansas wilderness. The truth is out there...

Editor's note: Unleash your best Photoshopping skills and let's see what kind of Ozark Howler you think you've seen. The best images might make it into print. Submitting a photo to data@news-leader.com grants permission for the News-Leader to use it online and in print.