THE AXE-HANDLE HOUND

The Axe-Helve Hound is notorious in northern logging regions, particularly around supply and depot camps. Its head is said to resemble the shape of a Peavy axe, while its body is long and slender, tapering like an axe handle. It has short, stumpy legs and bears a superficial resemblance to a dachshund, though folklore suggests it is more closely akin to B. B. Bickford’s bureau dog.

Primarily nocturnal, the Axe-Helve Hound emerges after dark to forage in logging camps, showing an unusual appetite for axe and Peavy handles. Accounts claim that a single animal can consume up to two boxes of double-bit handles along with sixteen six-foot Peavy stocks in one night. While reportedly trainable and capable of making affectionate pets, feeding them can be difficult. One logger, Jim Peters, tamed a pup but found that it posed a risk to his wooden leg, crafted from an axe helve. To protect the leg, he eventually discouraged the hound by providing red oak handles, which the creature dislikes as much as any experienced woodsman.