At one time, fire departments throughout the United States had Dalmations dogs ride along with them as mascots. This practice, however, declined rapidly once fire trucks began to routinely accompany ambulances to accident scenes. When they noticed that "Spot" had an affinity for the flesh of the poor victim's bodies, the firemen decided that neither their public image or their stomachs could tolerate their dogs' atavistic eating habits. "Spot" was retired and no longer rode the engines.

Carnivores and rodents also help destroy exposed corpses. Carnivores, including dogs, coyotes, wolves, and foxes, eat the body's soft tissues, especially the face and hands. They also prefer the spongy parts of the arm and leg bones, pelvis, and backbone. Dogs and coyotes eat exposed human corpses in a definate order and often carry the bones long distances to thier dens to continue feeding. Mice and rats generally feed on the soft tissues of the face, hands, and feet, on the abdominal organs, and on the small bones of the hands and feet. The farther away from human habitation a corpse lies, the greater the chance that a carnivore will feed on it, although even Lassie might take a bite from a corpse should one show up in her neigborhood.

True or not – you decide…

If you have an urban legend you’d like to share with us then please send it to editor@frankthemonkey.com and see if we print it!