90 Miles From Tyranny

Sunday, October 11, 2026

Quick Hits Of Wisdom, Knowledge And Snark #4277

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Stuckie died inside this hollowed-out trunk sometime in the 1960s, but was only discovered by a group of shocked loggers when they went to cut down the tree in the 1980s.

Stuckie, still stuck in his tree, is on display at the Southern Forest World museum in Georgia.

There are some things loggers expect to encounter when cutting down trees, like bird’s nests, woodland creatures, and plenty of insects. But when a group of loggers with the Georgia Kraft Corp. cut down a tree in the 1980s, they came upon a surprising sight: a mummified dog stuck in the tree’s center, who has since been nicknamed “Stuckie.”

The dog’s body, which had been trapped in the tree for approximately 20 years, is incredibly well preserved. His form is still easily discernible, his teeth are white and sharp, and he even seems to be mid-snarl.

So how did Stuckie get into the tree? And how was he mummified?

This is the strange story of Stuckie, the unlucky dog that ran up a tree in the 1960s — and got stuck there for all time.
The Discovery Of Stuckie In The 1980s

The story of Stuckie began in the 1980s, when a group of loggers from Georgia Kraft Corp. lopped off the top of a chestnut oak tree. As they prepared to load the tree into a transport truck, however, they noticed something unusual from its center: a snarling, mummified dog.

The surprised loggers had intended to pulp the log but, instead, they brought the tree and the dog inside it to the Southern Forest World museum in Georgia. As WTOC reports, the museum deals with anything related to forests, and has a number of curious objects on display including a piece of tree that dates back to the Pilgrims, and a tree which grew inside of another tree.

Southern Forest World Museum/YouTubeStuckie was likely in the tree for about 20 years before loggers found him in 1980.

The museum accepted the strange donation. But the discovery of Stuckie prompted more questions than answers. How did the dog get in the tree?
How Did Stuckie Get Into The Tree?

Stuckie was discovered 28 feet up the tree. It’s believed that he was chasing prey — possibly a raccoon — which he followed into a hole at the bottom of the chestnut oak. Though the smaller prey was able to climb up the hollow center of the tree and escape, Stuckie became hopelessly trapped.

From the position of the dog’s paws, experts believe that he continued to climb until he wedged himself in. Unable to turn around, the dog died.

Southern Forest Museum/FacebookStuckie on display at the Southern Forest World Museum, where the mummified dog is one of the museum’s most popular attractions.

“He’s a hunting dog, so we assumed that he was chasing something in the tree,” Bertha Sue Dixon, who runs the Southern Forest World museum, told Newsweek. To WTOC, she added: “You can actually tell how good a dog he was because he really tried to get through this hole.”

That could have been the end of Stuckie’s story. He could have decayed, or been eaten by other animals. But instead, something curious happened. Over the next 20 years, Stuckie became mummified.

The Mummification Of The Trapped Dog

How did Stuckie get mummified? For one, he was trapped so high in the tree that most other creatures could not access his body to consume his remains. For another, the way that air moved through the hollow tree kept other animals from catching Stuckie’s scent. So animals could not detect Stuckie’s remains, and they had no reason to climb inside of the tree.

But Stuckie also didn’t decay because of a unique set of circumstances.

Jakec/Wikimedia CommonsAn example of a chestnut oak tree. These trees contain tannins, which helped mummify Stuckie after the dog got stuck in the tree in the 1960s.

As Newsweek reports, the chestnut oak tree where he was trapped effectively became his “coffin.” Chestnut oak trees contain tannin, a natural substance which prevents decay by absorbing moisture. This stopped all microbial activity, which meant that Stuckie didn’t decay at all. Instead, he dried out.

Stuckie became a mummy, forgotten in the chestnut oak tree for the next two decades. If the loggers hadn’t happened to chop down his tree in the 1980s, he may have stayed there for even longer.

Indeed, it’s not the first time that an incredibly well-preserved animal has been found long after it died.