Thread: Wolf Dog Breeds
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Old September 7th, 2012, 11:50 AM
kittiesandbirds kittiesandbirds is offline
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Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Quebec
Posts: 92
Quote:
Originally Posted by LavenderRott View Post
Contrary to popular belief, wolf hybrids are pretty rare. A wolf doesn't make a good pet and trying to keep one as a house dog is kind of like trying to pretend that a tiger is a house cat.

There are several breeds of dog that are known for their high prey drive and would kill as you have described. Huskies and Malamutes both are known for this - as they are for their tendency to roam if allowed. This is not to say that your dog was not a wolf hybrid, just that there are breeds out there who are capable of doing the kind of damage you are talking about.
When I bought my dog from a woman who had the current world champion I was looking for a pure bred Husky. However by walking around the property I seemed to make the breeders nervous. Then from around the corner of the barn I spotted an enclosure. Up until this point I had only seen wolves on TV. Needless to say I must have looked very worried. I asked if they were wolves and in my mind the wheels were turning I had so badly wanted that dog but everything was telling me turn around, forget about it go home. Yet the long wait for the puppies, saving my money. She admitted they were wolves but explained how it was breed-ed in then diluted to the extreme. I guess I really wanted to believe it. This was 25 (sorry I just realized I did the math wrong we got the puppy when my youngest was born and she is 25 now) years ago and was a well known practice at the time. The notion was that the dogs would run harder and longer. My papers however stated that my dog was a purebred husky son of the world champion at the time.

Our vet clued us into certain anatomical features in our dog that were more standard to the wolf than the husky. He was over sized, his teeth were very large, the position of his legs apparently was a telltale sign. Then I met people with purebred huskies from other breeders. Many seemed not to know what I was talking about when I disclosed the problems we were having.

Our neighbors had nicknamed the dog Houdini for his amazing escapes, eating through a door, jumping over a eight foot enclosure somehow ect.

Others did not have the problems I was having. I am sure other huskies may have been just like my dog. His lineage is strong in Canada. I got my husky when he was a pup and all of his brothers died of rabies. The breeder sold many dogs in France as well. This is the reason she was eager to take him back. I can't complain about the breeder because in my opinion she was extraordinary building world champions. However the guilt of having to abandon a dog because of the lawsuit by a neighbor and my inability to contain him properly has stayed with me. When I hear about the plight of wolf hybrids Kim comes to mind. He was beautiful and loyal and probably my best friend and yet I could not because of money find a way to keep him. I always hope it ended well for him but I will always be haunted by his howling as I abandoned him back to the breeder when he was six. Weather any of the wolves in the enclosure were distant relatives of his I will never really know.

I feel strongly about the fate of so many animals that end up in shelters weather they be dog, wolf or whatever. The reason always seems to be our lack of understanding and preparation or sometimes a child is allergic.

I am glad this subject was brought up however did not see a sticky so the site can give a strong opinion on this subject as they do about unnecessary breeding. I have seen forums encouraging sixteen year olds to do breeding of birds even though they don't know who would pay for the vet in the case of an emergency.

I am very appreciative of the responses and hope I can avoid one person from having to abandon a lovely animal like Kim.


To this day these pictures are of the saddest day of my life. I Took them so I could remember him, also a drawing in aquarable crayons was done during the trip. It is in my album on this site.