wolf dogs

[samualjcat]

Thanks for your input. My vet did offer the tests but did tell me that quite frankly it would be a huge waste of money. So I have taken his other advice and am enjoying my dog whatever she may be.

[This message has been edited by samualjcat (edited November 16, 2000).]

[IRescue452]

I honestly think wild animals should be left wild and we shouldn't purposely be doing anything to crossbreed or mess with any wild animal.

[WolvesRawk]

I've never owned a wolf dog but I do have wolves. They're very loyal dogs. I love them.

[CagneyDog]

I've never owned a wolf dog but I do have wolves. They're very loyal dogs. I love them.

Your keep a wolf on a chain?

[WolvesRawk]

Your keep a wolf on a chain?

Don't worry, I let them run around and play plenty. Also, the chain is a really long dog run so even when chained, they have a large area to play. The thing is, they can climb out of, tear through, or dig under any fencing. That's a bad thing. They can take down tons of deer. The chains are the only way that I can contain them. If I don't, they'd be killed.

[Suki Wingy]

I'm sure there are zoos looking for tamer wolves, that's an alternative to a chain

[TheFarmersWife]

I currently own a wolf/husky mix. She is approximately 9 years old; I've had her for the last 4 years.

Kiva was basically a puppy factory for my neighbors, who abandoned her when they had to move. She managed to escape the chain link kennel they left her locked in, and wound up at my house. My daughter was friends with their children, so she knew where the dog came from; otherwise I would have thought she was a drop-off.

Kiva is a good dog, great with kids, etc. However, I do not EVER forget that she has wolf blood flowing through her veins. The wolf instincts definitely show through her behaviors. And like any other breed of dog, she could snap at any moment and turn vicious. (My mother owns a Pom-a-Poo that scares me worse!)

I swore to myself that I would never breed her, because I feel there are far too many of these mixes in the world. People seem to think it's COOL to own a wolf. But you don't own them; they own you.

BTW, Kiva is also kept on a chain. I do take her for walks, and she does get her exercise. I think she probably prefers the 25 foot chain to the 8 x 10 kennel she shared with another female wolf.

I have tried to place this beautiful girl with a sanctuary for wolves and wolfdogs, but due to the overbreeding of these animals, there is no room.

[howl4metok]

Hi, I'm Jen. I volunteer for several groups who work to rescue wolfdogs.
By the way, that is now the proper terminology, as the wolf and the dog have recently been classified as the same species. They are genetically identical. That is why, even though blood tests are offered, no one bothers because it can tell you nothing as far as wolf DNA is concerned.
I have personally owned 4. Tok, my first, very recently passed away. He was 11 years old. Tikaani was number 2, now 5 yrs old, is the only female, and she likes it that way. Taku was found wandering the city, no name and no info, only a severely painful condition called perianal fistula. We think he may be about 7 years old now, and stayed with us for nearly a year before we decided he'd be better in a sanctuary that could handle his expensive condition, which has since gone into remission. Teekan is our 4th, the baby, and just turned 2.
I could tell you all about what percentage they are, 75%, 50%, 5.29%. In all honesty, percentages mean nothing. Don't tell that to a breeder, you'll make them angry. Higher percentages yield higher prices.
If you took 100 blue marbles, and 100 red ones, dumped them in a big bucket and blindly picked 100 marbles out, would 50 be blue and 50 be red? Probably not. Same with wolfdogs, a supposed 50-50 could look and act like a dog, or look and act like a wolf, or a little of both, or look like one and act like the other. You can't tell.
As far as the danger factor, every wolfdog I've handled, even those from really horrible places, have been on the timid side, and some will do anything to get away. The only bite situation I've ever known of personally was one large male who was not socialized, he was afraid of being handled and had been injured. As a woman tried to push him into a crate to be transported to the vet, he quickly bit her hand and took off across the enclosure. He simply wanted to get away.

No, they are NOT ideal pets. Why? because they are incredible and unrelenting balls of burning energy and curiosity. It takes a lot of time and patience to train them to stay off the counter, or out of the trash. You also need to be knowlegable in dog language, so you can combat unique problems like submissive urination, chewing on your couch, and most of all, convincing the wolfdog that while your in charge, they need not fear you. Otherwise you have a beautiful animal who knows your god, but won't come near you because your god. They are very sensitive.

Breeders will use gimmicks like "highly intelligent and trainable" (they are too intelligent, and therefore self sufficient and independent), or they "make great guard dogs" (if that were true, the police would use them. They are too easily startled by new things, theyre more likely to run from strangers than anything).

Can they be dangerous? Sure, so can a lab. Any animal not properly contained or cared for can result in a very tragic end.

So thats my two cents. I beleive wolves are incredible animals, and are only truely happy when they are free. I wish more people would leave them there. But what about all the wolfdogs already here? The one's who someone got because of some false ad, and can't handle? Is there no room for them with someone willing to take the time for them? When I took Tok in 6 years ago I did it on a whim, he was in such a bad place and needed a home and I thought, I could give it a whirl. As I researched the "breed" I found out some very troubling things that I wish more wolfdog breeders knew.

The natural life expectancy of a wolfdog is the same as any larger breed dog, about 12-14 years, yet their average life span is only 3 years. Most people can't handle the skiddishness, or they beleive the stories, or the training gets to be too much. They are usually destroyed before they've even matured.

Also, as of 2000 there were an estimated 300,000 wolfdogs in the US in rescue. I'm quite sure that number has climbed.

They are a difficult breed, I wish people would look past the myth and the rumor and all the foolish static from breeders and see that there is a place for wolfdogs. I have had many dogs of many breeds, and Tok was by far the best "dog" I've ever had. We miss him terribly.

If you do think you'd like to have a wolfdog, don't go to a breeder, contact a rescue and get all the correct info you can, and if your not sure, than please don't.
If you think you've got a wolfdog, and your not sure, then good for you. Enjoy your dog and forget the word "wolf" ever crossed your mind. The safest thing you could do for your furry friend is let them be a dog. If fido runs away and is picked up by a shelter, fido may never see another day if "wolfdog" is whispered. And if Fido, for any reason, nips someone, Fido will be destroyed if someone says wolf, because rabies vaccinations are not legally approved for wolves and wolfdogs, and to ensure he doesn't have rabies, they'll have to test him. They don't test them alive.

Ok, I'll shut up now. I hope everyone has a great day!
Jen and Pack

[Ravette]

My family and I have had many wolf mixes over the years. Fewer here in the last 4/5years because we moved to town but my sister has one.

Thor - Large 100+ male Alaskan Malamute X Wolf X GSD - This was about the greatest animal I will have ever owned. We lived on about 27 acres land out in the boonies. He protected our livestock from the coyotes and he guarded us. My year old nieces at the time climbed all over him with no problem at all but it did help that he was raised around them since we got him at 6wks old. Only issues we really had with him is that he liked to get out and roam the mountain. We turned in some people for child abuse and 2wks later we heard gun shots on a night he got out of "yard" and we never saw him again. ((was 5/6yrs old))

Mariah - She was about 2 when we got her. She was seriously abused. Her owner thought they could beat her into being a mean fighting dog. They watched a little bit too much White Fang type movies because she was very very submissive. She came to us weighing almost 40lbs under what she should have been. She stayed shy and submissve and disliked children and men but took to my dad as an alpha. She treated my nieces like her puppies. She would actually go kill mice and ahh try and feed them. Nasty but makes for a great story. Put down due to poison. ((had her for two years)) ((mother was a wolf cub raised by a man that found it and father was a wolf husky ((story told to us by abuser not sure how real it is)

Tasha - Wolf X GSD - We rescued her from a man that was feeding her raw chicken and only raw chicken because she was part wolf . We had her for about six months then she came down with some serious medical problems and we had to find a new home for her that could afford the 200$ in medication and the monthly vet visits she required.

current dog: My sister owns a wolf mutt Chelsea is a Akita/Mal/GSD/Samoyed/Wolf - She lived under a deck for the first 4wks of her life. My sister took her home and she stayed unsocialized and now has some serious dog agression but other than that she is about the biggest teddy bear I have ever seen and the biggest baby. If you yell at her she POUTS and she holds some serious grudges! lmao

I have several others I could tell about but *shrugs* Those were the three we had the longest

[beyond_me]

When I was growing up we adopted a wolf hybrid. He had had a very bad home and needed a new one. They are different then regular dogs but they are very family orriented. Simba is his name and he would do anything for his family. Also he accidently breed and we kept one of the puppies and she was the best dog. I loved her so... much. The thing with wolf hybrids is that they more so own you, not you them, which I think is a pretty coo thing.

[little sioux]

I currently have a chow chow / wolf and he is super. He can do all kinds of tricks and is very loving to our boxer pup plus he loves kids. We are getting ready to get a female that is 75% timber arctic,tundra and mackenzie valley wolf 25% husky,malamute to breed with him. To me these dogs are great if they are brought up in a loving home. They make great pets and even better friends.
Little Sioux

[king2005]

I knew a guy who kept 2 wolves in his house. He had a baby & a wife 7 all was well. The wolves were 6+years old when they were accidently mistaken as wild wolves & shot. the farmer didn't notice their collars & when he went to remove from the field, he saw the collars & realized who they were, it was Teddy & Sarah. He was atleast nice enough to admit it was him & returned the bodies to the owner

[howl4metok]

Not to step on anybodies toes here, but in my humble opinion, breeding wolfdogs is just plain wrong.
I know everyone thinks they'll be better and more responsible than everyone else out there, but when push comes to shove thats never the case. Teekon came from a very reputable breeder, but when his owner had to move on his first birthday, the breeder agreed to take him back under only one condition: either the owner dropped him at the vet to be euthanized, or she would shoot him the day he was delivered to her door.
He got lucky, he was rescued.
Tikaani's owners loved the idea of having a wolfdog. They kept their labs in the house while Tikaani lived in a small kennel outside. No walks, no bed. When they got bored with her they abandoned her at a boarding kennel because the overpriced breeding facility refused to take her back since she'd already been spayed. A spayed dog is worthless to them.

Taku was released in the suburbs of Chicago, left to fend for himself and live in pain with a severe condition called Perianal fistula. He got real lucky, normally standard procedure in any shelter is to destroy a wolfdog or any suspected wolfdog. Luckily the Grey Wolf Rescue got him out of the hands of AC and flew him here. Our best guess, the owner couldn't afford his treatment, and being in an illegal state decided the safest thing he could do for himself was just dispose of the animal. The breeder most likely refused him back because of the PF.

Tok had been tied to a tree. His owner thought he was neat enough, but the "wolf" stigma left her too afraid of him to interact with him or let him in the house. He was tied up in alaska year round at the end of a chain. Living in his own filth and nothing but an old wooden box for shelter.
His breeder never returned phone calls.

I can go on and on with other fosters we've had, and countless others in rescue that I've worked with.

In 2000, there were an estimated 300,000 wolfdogs (not including captive pure wolves) in rescue. Beleive me, that number has gone up since.
Sanctuaries continure to pop up all over the country, and ALL are currently filled to capacity.

Keep in mind that many vet's need a special lisence to even treat them, and many states have banned them. Other states require a permit which costs a pretty penny. Only a handful have no legistation reguarding wolfdogs.
Federally, the rabies vaccine is NOT APPROVED FOR WOLVES AND WOLFDOGS.
Not because it doesn't work, they just refuse to approve it. What does that mean? If you can find someone to vaccinate your wolfdog for rabies, good, do it. Protect your animal as best you can. However, if ever your wolfdog should bite a person or another animal, there will be no quarrentine, no watch and wait, no "let me see your proof of vaccination". Instead there will be a court order to take that animal, have it euthanized, and have it's brain tissue tested for rabies. There are efforts to get the vaccine approved, but thus far the federal gov't predicts that such approval will make it that much easier for people to own wolfdogs. They don't want that.

Sure people can be screened, but whats to really stop them from breeding, or doing what too many other owners do. Most wolfdogs are kept as designer pets, locked up and ignored, fed food that does not meet their needs, and bragged about.
Everyday I get emails about wolfdogs and wolves who need homes. 2 out of three are listed as urgent, and so many don't make it. Before we can get to them they are destroyed, because someone didn't take the time to care for it properly.
They are a very social pack animal, and they are in fact NOT a domestic dog. They need time, they need space, they need interaction, special diets, special vets and permits. They need involved training and they need something more than a chain around the neck and an occasional bone to chew to keep them happy.
Please don't breed them. If someone wants one that bad, there are so many with excellent temperments who need homes. Contact a rescue and save a life, don't just make more.