It is often said that men are dogs, but one young man from Clarendon is said to have taken that statement a bit too seriously for at least two days recently.

THE WEEKEND STAR learnt that two weeks ago, for several hours, a 20-odd-year-old man from Chapelton, created quite a stir in May Pen when he ran around 'on fours' like a dog.

And what made the incident even more weird is that the man is said to have had on a dog leash and barked at people and even passing vehicles. It was also said that he attempted to bite persons who tried to collar him.

The man's actions is said to have left residents of the town quite puzzled and is still being talked about there.

"Yu waa see di youth a run up and dung like a dog and a bark ... Him a run pon all him hand dem fi look like him a run pon four foot like dog," Trevor, a fruit vendor who plies his wares in the town said when THE WEEKEND STAR visited on Wednesday afternoon.

"Yea man, a pure tings gwaan a May Pen eno, di man draw big crowd dung yah di day," he added as two men at his stall spoke of the incident and cracked jokes about it.

so bizarre

The incident was so bizarre that even the police in the town were quickly able to recall it when asked. "I didn't see him but the day it allegedly happened I heard about it from some of my colleagues," a corporal from the May Pen Police Station said.

While there is no doubt that the incident occurred, the reason behind the young man's action is where there is some doubt. While some persons think the young man simply went mad, there are several persons who claim that his dog-like behaviour was caused by obeah.

The theory is that some money was stolen from a young woman and her family members visited an obeah man in another parish after being convinced that he was responsible for the theft.

They say that the dog transformation incident was brought to an end when the young man's relatives through much effort finally apprehended him on the second day.

"A pure joke when dem a try hold him. Him a run and a bark and all bite off a some a them. Yu waa see how much a dem affi team up fi hold him," another vendor, Miss Cheryl, said.

Miss Cheryl also told THE WEEKEND STAR that a large number of persons who saw the incident used it as a 'rake' to buy specific numbers in the popular Cash Pot betting game.

Their money dreams were, however, short-lived as the number they all thought would play, 11, simply never did.

The man who is said to be a regular visitor to May Pen has not been seen since the incident and is said to have moved from his community. Efforts by THE WEEKEND STAR to locate him were unsuccessful.