Traditions of the Arikara

Once there was a young man who slept outside of the lodge. He heard dogs bark at night, and as it was moonlight he saw a dog coming out of the river carrying her little ones in her mouth, one at a time, into the hills, to a spring. This young man saw the water-dog carrying its young ones. His name was Poor-Bear. He died shortly after he saw the dogs. At another time an old woman went to get some water out of the river, at or about the same place the water-dogs were seen. As she stooped to dip the water up she heard the dogs chattering in the water. She became frightened. She went home with the water and told the story. She became sick and died shortly afterward.

These water-dogs are supposed to be very powerful in killing people. They are hardly ever seen by people, and when they are seen the person who sees them generally dies.