At one o'clock this morning I went outside into my back yard to have a cigarette and let my 65 pound pit-bull go to the bathroom; I never smoke in my house. It was dark outside and there were no lights on, in or outside of my house. However the moon was rather full so I could somewhat see my surroundings. I was staring up at the moon which was in the westward direction and my dog was at the fence also in the west side of the yard. I was about half way through my cigarette when I had the feeling that someone was watching me from behind. When I turned around I could see the outline of what appeared to be a person standing by the corner of my house near the fence and he/she seemed to be facing me. Immediately the figure started to run away from my house towards the back of the property (only about a 15 to 20 foot distance) when my dog heard its footsteps and ran towards it. Thinking that it was someone that shouldn't be in my yard I ran back into my house through the sliding glass door but left the door open so I could attempt to call my dog inside fearing for his safety. As soon as my dog reached the figure, it flew straight up into the air at a height of approximately 10 feet and then flew directly to the far back edge of the property and either landed on the fence or hovered directly over it for about 2 minutes. I could see the outline of what appeared to be either wings or some type of a cloak. I love my dog very much but was too scared to let go of the door in fear that the figure would come towards me. After a minute I realized that I could turn on the back yard light and did so. As I did I could barely see the figure as it went over the fence. My dog continued to paw at the fence as I called for him to come inside. After about a minute of calling him he came inside and I went directly upstairs to wake my girlfriend and tell her about what had just happened. I am twenty nine years old and for many years I have believed in the possibility of extraterrestrials visiting earth. I only say this because I have often thought about how I would react if I ever had an encounter. Every time I thought about it, I imagined that although it may be a little scary, overall I would be thrilled. I don't know if this figure was from this planet or not but either way, I assure you that I have never been more frightened in my life. I don't know if what was in "my" yard was there for a reason or merely by coincidence, but I am sure that I will be smoking my cigarettes in the garage from now on. Unfortunately my dog will have to brave the night time bathroom breaks with me watching safely from my house, but he doesn't seem too scared. I know that this is not the traditional type of UFO sighting, but I didn't know who else to contact. I don't wish for any type of publicity what so ever, but would greatly appreciate any feedback possible.