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paleWOLF In reply to eXtremeBiker [2007-01-09 18:14:10 +0000 UTC]

Thank you...this is one of my favorite pieces.

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paleWOLF In reply to Ara-Tun [2006-09-24 19:44:33 +0000 UTC]

My Wolfdog has an excellent personality--he is only 20% wolf, mostly dog, and I would NEVER represent him as anything more than what he is--which is the TRUE problem--Wolfdogs are not mean, agressive and ready to attack, that is a misnomer--they DO have a higher prey drive, which CAN make them dangerous to smaller animals and even children (but then again huskies and malamutes have the same problem)--ANYONE who allows a child to wander freely without supervision around ANY large canid is asking for problems-let alone leaving one around a wolfdog--as sad as it is for a child to be harmed, I ask FIRST in ALL cases "where were the parents and/ or the owner when it happened!?". A responsible Wolfdog owner would have it properly contained (NOT on a chain in the corner of the yard) but in an escape proof enclosure (much like those used with bears and big cats) with a perimeter fence around the outside (at least for animals 60% and more wolf). As with all animals you cannot be 100% fool-proof, and bad things happen to the best of us, but prevention is a key concept that many people who own ANY breed of dog have a lack of.

The other problem is that many people sell husky/german shepherd/or malamute mixes and CALL them wolfdogs to get more money out of unsuspecting/uneducated people, therefor a large sum of the "wolfdog" attack accounts are involving DOGS not WOLVES or WOLFDOGS.--but a misrepresented animal, whether intended or not has disasterous consequences for any that ACTUALLY are part wolf. I do not recommend that "everyone" have a wolfdog, because they ARE a LOT of work to manage/house and train properly.

Just like ALL breeds there are good/well bred animals, and poorly bred animals--it is up to the people to do their research and learn as much as they can BEFORE EVER bringing ANY animal into a home environment. I am defensive about Wolfdogs because just like all the "anti-breed" legislation laws--Lawmakers are cracking down on "breeds" when "people" are the problem. I have seen veterinary accounts of Labradors, golden retrievers and toy breed dogs which have killed, bitten, maimed or mauled people and children--these cases do not often make for "good" journalism because these breeds are VERY popular and rank HIGH on registry lists--so many news reporters won't write or even bother with a story involving a popular breed dog--EVEN if the dog is a repeat offender. But OOOH watch out if someone says the words "wolf/pitbull/rottweiler/german shepherd/chow" in an account and all of a sudden it is a media frenzie. My point is that there are a lot of uneducated people with animals they shouldn't have, and an even HIGHER population of uneducated people jumping on the bandwagon because a friend of a friend whose uncle's sister's best friend's niece was mauled by a wolfdog or pitbull or german shepherd or rottweiler.

Below are listed some informational sites with PLENTY of information about these misunderstood animals AND education/plus Buyer Beware precautions to keep uneducated people from purchasing animals they know nothing about how to care for:

[link]

[link]

[link]

[link]

[link]

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paleWOLF In reply to Ara-Tun [2006-09-24 19:36:01 +0000 UTC]

My Wolfdog has an excellent personality--he is only 20% wolf, mostly dog, and I would NEVER represent him as anything more than what he is--which is the TRUE problem--Wolfdogs are not mean, agressive and ready to attack, that is a misnomer--they DO have a higher prey drive, which CAN make them dangerous to smaller animals and even children (but then again huskies and malamutes have the same problem)--ANYONE who allows a child to wander freely without supervision around ANY large canid is asking for problems-let alone leaving one around a wolfdog--as sad as it is for a child to be harmed, I ask FIRST in ALL cases "where were the parents and/ or the owner when it happened!?". A responsible Wolfdog owner would have it properly contained (NOT on a chain in the corner of the yard) but in an escape proof enclosure (much like those used with bears and big cats) with a perimeter fence around the outside (at least for animals 60% and more wolf). As with all animals you cannot be 100% fool-proof, and bad things happen to the best of us, but prevention is a key concept that many people who own ANY breed of dog have a lack of.

The other problem is that many people sell husky/german shepherd/or malamute mixes and CALL them wolfdogs to get more money out of unsuspecting/uneducated people, therefor a large sum of the "wolfdog" attack accounts are involving DOGS not WOLVES or WOLFDOGS.--but a misrepresented animal, whether intended or not has disasterous consequences for any that ACTUALLY are part wolf. I do not recommend that "everyone" have a wolfdog, because they ARE a LOT of work to manage/house and train properly.

Just like ALL breeds there are good/well bred animals, and poorly bred animals--it is up to the people to do their research and learn as much as they can BEFORE EVER bringing ANY animal into a home environment. I am defensive about Wolfdogs because just like all the "anti-breed" legislation laws--Lawmakers are cracking down on "breeds" when "people" are the problem. I have seen veterinary accounts of Labradors, golden retrievers and toy breed dogs which have killed, bitten, maimed or mauled people and children--these cases do not often make for "good" journalism because these breeds are VERY popular and rank HIGH on registry lists--so many news reporters won't write or even bother with a story involving a popular breed dog--EVEN if the dog is a repeat offender. But OOOH watch out if someone says the words "wolf/pitbull/rottweiler/german shepherd/chow" in an account and all of a sudden it is a media frenzie. My point is that there are a lot of uneducated people with animals they shouldn't have, and an even HIGHER population of uneducated people jumping on the bandwagon because a friend of a friend whose uncle's sister's best friend's niece was mauled by a wolfdog or pitbull or german shepherd or rottweiler.

Below are listed some informational sites with PLENTY of information about these misunderstood animals AND education/plus Buyer Beware precautions to keep uneducated people from purchasing animals they know nothing about how to care for:

[link]

[link]

[link]

[link]

[link]

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Ara-Tun In reply to paleWOLF [2006-09-24 21:22:34 +0000 UTC]

Excellently said! I have done extensive research on wolves and their behavior (which is more than enough to know that wolves make TERRIBLE pets - they get depressed easily), and I have been educating as many people as I can (there's only so much that I can do at 17) on the true nature of wolves and I always make sure that they understand that EVERY animal has its own personality and will react in different ways. I also inform them that most "wolf" attacks are actually dog attacks or - so I have read - are wolfdog attacks. Most of the "wolf" attacks in the Middle Ages were bad mixes of guard dog/hostile breeds (if you could call them breeds... I don't know if they had breed types then ) that didn't know how to properly hunt, and so attacked humans and livestock.

I did not know about the sales of husky/german shepherd/malamute mixes being advertised as wolfdogs. But I do understand that not everyone should have a wolfdog - and I know that I am not a good candidate to own a wolfdog -, but my biggest problem is that I do not fully know the wolfdog's side. My knowledge lies with the wolves.

I know that wolfdogs are not automatically aggressive creatures - I have met a few who were sweet as could be, and my mother was friends with a man who had a wolfdog named "Wolfy" who was a puppy her entire life - but I am always wary of domestic/wild crosses in large animals like zebra/horse crosses because of the inheirent wildness in them. But I know that most of the mistakes are from poorly educated humans.

It sounds like you really know what you're doing! Thanks for explaining things more fully to me!

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paleWOLF In reply to Ara-Tun [2006-09-25 19:41:52 +0000 UTC]

No problem, I am sorry if I sounded a bit "agressive" myself, as I guess I am a bit defensive about the topic. Not all people should have dogs in general, let alone a wolfdog. Thank you for your understanding, not many people try to understand, which is half the problem.

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Ara-Tun In reply to paleWOLF [2006-09-25 19:50:15 +0000 UTC]

I didn't interpret it as being aggressive, just defensive. Which you have a right to be. I read through all the links you posted, and they were very helpful! (Actually, I spent almost my entire evening going through everything!) It sounds kind of stupid, but I didn't quite realize that a wolfdog has wolf and dog traits. Makes me feel silly. It also reminded me that a dog is, in essence, a juvinal wolf. Any dog that is successfully introduced to a wolf pack is treated like a pup for its entire life.

Thanks again!

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paleWOLF In reply to Ara-Tun [2006-09-26 06:39:45 +0000 UTC]

No problem, I enjoy educating people, since I do have first hand experience in the arena. There really is a LOT of stuff that many people are unaware of--it doesn't make them stupid by any means--but I always feel one should be well informed before picking a side, and if at the end of all the research one still feels the same--they are entirely welcome to it. Wolves and wolfdogs are not "pets" per-say, they are more like a life long committment, and companions with the mentality of a 6-7 year old child their entire lives; and since wolves and higher content wolfdogs have a 15-20% larger brain mass (than an average dog), they are rather difficult to the untrained or inexperienced person to deal with. They are problem solving intelligent--they can learn to open doors, escape from enclosures and break into food stores just by watching a person do it once. They are less forgiving and less forgetful of violence or abuse--where a dog might remain loyal to an abusive master, a wolf/wolfdog would see that behavior as unstable and therefore equate "inferiority" with it---wolves strive to keep inferior behavior in "check", so you can imagine what happens if they view the person that is supposed to be "leader of the pack" as unstable.

They also go through dramatic stages of mental development, and when it happens to a novice this is when these beautiful animals are dumped off or put to sleep--they go into stages where they will test for dominance--be it with another animal and/or their human caretaker--and what a person would percieve as aggression or temperment problems--to a wolf or wolfdog, is actually a natural course of development. A person who is not capable of standing their ground or not able to be a fair, but stern leader is cast off in the animal's mind as an omega to be put in their place---this is where the biting of hands (compairable to the mouth on snout reprimand in a wolf pack) or the posturing and baring of teeth can be percieved (again, by a novice who is uneducated with wolves/wolfdogs) as behavior of a dangerous animal--and while this behavor CAN be concidered dangerous in "human" terms, is not generally lethal in actions--since RARELY a pack will kill or seriously harm an omega. BUT our human flesh is often viewed as superior, regardless of the animal's point of view, and often these animals end up as throw aways because they are simply displaying "natural" and (to the educated) "predictable" behavior that is to be expected if one is to share their life with a wolf/wolfdog.

I am glad to meet another with an open point of view. Thank you for your interest--I feel it is through education that we find peace, because without it we are just a jumble of humanoids with "sheepish" tendencies.

I do not think banning ANY breed of dog is the answer--not everyone is capable of handling a Golden Retriever or even a Chihuahua--so it is rather silly to think that even half of the dog lovers on this planet are capable of handling an animal with a direct lineage to the wilder half. Wolfdogs are not for everyone, but from my experience can be integrated into a family just as any other canine, they just require a better sense of humor, and a WHOLE LOT of patience. I will probably spend my life with several before I am gone, but like I said, they are not for everyone.

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Ara-Tun In reply to paleWOLF [2006-10-07 18:53:20 +0000 UTC]

I just went and looked at the picture again and I must say that I really love Euryp's and Avatar's coloring!

I know that I will spend a good portion of my life with wild - and maybe captive - wolves, so I've spent lots of time studying and observing their behavior. Unfortunatly, I will likely be trudging after the wolf pack with my radio reciever held high in the air, missing all the fun and excitement... Or I could live like David Mech and intigrate myself into a wild pack. I *heart* that idea much more.

I'm also doing a Science Fair project on captive wolves in zoo settings. I am doing this for two reasons: 1, so that I can learn more about wolf behavior and 2, so that I have an excellent excuse - complete with graphs and pictures - to lecture people about wolves. I fear that I may end up being a professor on day

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paleWOLF In reply to Ara-Tun [2006-10-07 21:57:23 +0000 UTC]

Yes they doo have very different coloring. I am glad to share my life with two animals--I think their colors are like opposites, Avatar being light colored, and light faced, and Euryp being dark colored and dark faced. I love my dogs!

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paleWOLF In reply to ChocoboDragon [2006-09-18 15:37:29 +0000 UTC]

Yup is quite a variety. That is why I took the picture. I actually had to cut and splice the Chihuahua into the photos because he was the only one who would not stay put. Luckily I got a few other photos of him standing on the porch, so everything matches up--but still, he was present, just not IN the photo.

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