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  #1  
Old September 17th, 2012, 03:08 PM
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marko marko is offline
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I met a pet Wolf face to face

Hi members,

I have just returned from a great trip (with dave the other 'silent' admin) - 10 days in the Yukon/NWT. Wow what a fabulous country Canadians like me live in. So huge and beautiful.

During a drive south From Inuvik we drove in a storm and decided at the end of the day to say in the only hotel for hundreds of kilometers.

There, in the bar at night a man comes in with a pet wolf. Not a wolf hybrid. 100% pure wolf. The wolf is skittish though and this big framed man (probably 6'2 and 200 lbs) does control the wolf but with difficulty when coming through the door for the first time. The wolf is known to the patron of the bar and she asks the guests if its cool that the wolf is in the bar and we all say yes. The man has the wolf on leash. The wolf is excellent with people. The wolf was skittish though and tried to retreat whenever she heard an unfamiliar noise.

WOW WOW WOW. This animal was gorgeous and i petted it freely. This wolf's owner is a well known businessman in the area who was very eager to talk about his pet. Dave and I talked with him for a good 30 min and Dave even took pix of the wolf.

To make a long story short this man freely admits that his decision to get a pure-bred wolf was a terrible one and that the breeder in Alberta where he got the wolf should stop breeding them. He would never do it again and would never ever recommend it to anyone regardless of how much dog training experience they have and he said he had loads of dog training experience. The breeder suggested to him that given his training experience he should be fine - and of course now.....he regrets the purchase but will keep the wolf until she passes.

He said that unless the wolf is out of its surrounding (like in that bar) then she clings to the owner due to the innate pack mentality.

But when the wolf is at home in its enclosure it really wants to hunt and stalk everything that moves...

The man also honestly (and sadly - u could hear the regret in his voice because he is an animal lover) fessed up that his pet Wolf was involved in a tragedy where it got loose and killed the neighbour's dog (a shih tzu). The man felt horrible about this and I do not know more about this tragedy.

He said that the 4 year old Wolf has calmed down now (but the wolf looked like it had TONS of energy). He said the worst was when the wolf was 2 years old. All kinds of destructive and predatory behavior.

Anyway - I just wanted to write this because it was a first hand experience that was super interesting.
It also coincidently supports the position that wolves and wolf hybrids make dangerous pets.
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  #2  
Old September 17th, 2012, 04:18 PM
Etown_Chick Etown_Chick is offline
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Last I checked, breeding wolves was illegal in alberta. If I knew who was doing that, I'd report them.
YOu are SO right - it's brutally unfair to the wolf. It should be living in its natural habitat, by its instincts, in a pack.
Very sad story.
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  #3  
Old September 17th, 2012, 04:35 PM
Etown_Chick Etown_Chick is offline
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Ok this bothers me. I went googling to find this Alberta breeder, and got so frustrated by how many people (mostly Americans) are selling wolf dogs. A couple of them claim their hybrid parents are CKC registered..wtf? As if they'd register wolfdogs...I need to stop googling before I get sick.
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  #4  
Old September 18th, 2012, 08:47 AM
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It goes without saying that I too do not approve of the breeding or adopting of wolves or wolf hybrids as pets. We did a podcast (same link as in post 1)on this a while ago with dog and wolf expert scientists - they say no.

A quick google search on wolves or wolf hybrids as pets will also immediately reveal that this is a bad bad idea. (and I'm being generous and diplomatic with my adjectives here)

But Obviously there are people that adopt anything for the coolness factor without doing the research...this is crazy selfish imo, and the animal often suffers in the end.

That said, i must confess that even though I don't approve of this in any way - it was a very impressive experience.
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  #5  
Old September 18th, 2012, 09:45 AM
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LavenderRott LavenderRott is offline
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I am sure that any wolf hybrid (or claims of them) being registered with CKC is registered with the Continental Kennel Club - which will register anything. If you sent them a form with the father listed as a wolf and the mother listed as a cat - they will send you papers.

I still stand by the assertion that wolves and wolf-hybrids as pets are rare. I am sure that some are out there but I am also sure that the gullible will believe anything they are told and there are many, many people perfect willing to lie to them to give them what they want.
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  #6  
Old September 18th, 2012, 09:54 AM
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Love4himies Love4himies is offline
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What a wonderful opportunity and where are the pics???


Ummmm, did you invite him to join the forum?
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Old September 18th, 2012, 11:21 AM
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hazelrunpack hazelrunpack is offline
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We have a practical perspective on wolves here--we hear them, see them, respect them totally and try to avoid them. That being said, I sure would like to sink my fingers in that fur once... Soooo...was it soft?
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Old September 18th, 2012, 01:23 PM
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marko marko is offline
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I'll try to see if Dave has a pic i can post.

The wolf's fur was thick but not overly soft. kind of felt like the fur of most German shepherds that i have petted.

Quote:
Ummmm, did you invite him to join the forum?
good one!
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  #9  
Old September 18th, 2012, 06:48 PM
Barkingdog Barkingdog is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by marko View Post
It goes without saying that I too do not approve of the breeding or adopting of wolves or wolf hybrids as pets. We did a podcast (same link as in post 1)on this a while ago with dog and wolf expert scientists - they say no.

A quick google search on wolves or wolf hybrids as pets will also immediately reveal that this is a bad bad idea. (and I'm being generous and diplomatic with my adjectives here)

But Obviously there are people that adopt anything for the coolness factor without doing the research...this is crazy selfish imo, and the animal often suffers in the end.

That said, i must confess that even though I don't approve of this in any way - it was a very impressive experience.
I feel the same way, I think people feel it 'cool' to own a wolf or wolf hybrid
for a pet. I knew a woman that had a coyote hybrid and she thought it was cool. The animal never took to living in a house, the animal wanted to be outside and free to come and go as she pleases.
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  #10  
Old September 19th, 2012, 11:02 AM
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marko marko is offline
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wolf pic

Here is a pic that dave took of the wolf in the bar.

Decent pic but the wolf was much more impressive in person
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  #11  
Old September 19th, 2012, 11:47 AM
Barkingdog Barkingdog is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by marko View Post
Here is a pic that dave took of the wolf in the bar.

Decent pic but the wolf was much more impressive in person
I like how you called the wolf a 'person' it show you really love animals.
Is he an older dog , the face has gray fur and I was wondering if from being a old dog or that the natural coloring of the dog. It is a beautiful animal.
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  #12  
Old September 19th, 2012, 12:14 PM
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Love4himies Love4himies is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by marko View Post
Here is a pic that dave took of the wolf in the bar.

Decent pic but the wolf was much more impressive in person

They are beautiful creatures .

We stopped in Jasper to allow a pack of 3 cross the road right in front of our car. They were surprising tall, very long legs.
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Old September 19th, 2012, 02:26 PM
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hazelrunpack hazelrunpack is offline
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Very pretty animal!!
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  #14  
Old September 19th, 2012, 03:39 PM
Longblades Longblades is offline
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WAs she house trained? I've read that it is extemely difficult if not impossible to house train a timber wolf. Same with Chimpanzees. Weird eh? Both such highly intelligent animals.
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  #15  
Old September 20th, 2012, 08:48 AM
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Don't know that anwser to that one - sorry
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  #16  
Old September 20th, 2012, 09:53 AM
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Goldfields Goldfields is offline
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They're a lovely moderate animal, conformation-wise. Mother Nature has done wonderfully well with the Dingo and the Wolf. Natural survivors.
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  #17  
Old September 21st, 2012, 09:33 AM
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ownedbycats ownedbycats is offline
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While I don't approve of wolf/wolf dog hybrids as pets, it is an amazing experience to see a live wolf in person. To see one close enough to touch would be a real privilege.
I found an interesting story recently about an effort to breed a dog that LOOKS like a wolf, but contains no recent wolf crosses (all dogs have wolf ancestry if you go back far enough ). They have used huskies, german shepherds, border collies, golden retrievers, and sight hounds. If their claims are correct, all dogs used in the breeding program are health checked and temperament tested. I think that given the breeds it wold still be a very high energy dog. The name of this "breed" is the Alaskan Noble Companion Dog.
If they are doing the tests they say they are, and the dogs are healthy this could be a good thing. if they succeed, it would be possible for people to own something that looks like a wolf but acts like a domesticated dog. Hopefully it would cut down on people buying actual wolf/ wolf-dog hybrids.
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