When the science world decided that yes, perhaps the wolf and
the dog are essentially members of the same species, the news
was welcomed heartily by those who champion the cause of
wolf/dog hybrids, animals that, thanks to human-induced
breeding
practices, are part wolf and part dog. After years of
grappling with opposition to their right to breed and keep these
animals, hybrid enthusiasts hoped that with wolves and dogs
viewed scientifically as the same species, exoneration would
soon be theirs. Yet widespread-not to mention
legal-acceptance of wolf/dog hybrids has yet to occur, and the
problems associated with these animals remain. No matter
how closely related dog and wolf may be, we are talking about
the combination of wild and domestic blood. Combine
the two within a single animal and more often than not it
produces an animal that is eternally confused and possibly
unstable.
It starts off innocently enough. The hybrid puppy
is as cute and cuddly as any
other young canid, wild or
domestic. But in time-often as early as 6 months of
age-the wild impulses kick in, as does the strength borne of the
animal's hybrid vigor. Stuck in the middle of two worlds,
this increasingly powerful animal does not under-stand
how to express its impulses properly within the context of a pet
household. The animal cannot be housetrained or confined.
Furniture is destroyed (as are small animals who cross the
hybrid's path) and there may be little consistency in the
hybrid's behavior, as both wild and domestic instincts struggle
for psychological control of the animal. In the worse case
scenario, the hybrid must be destroyed in the wake of an attack
on a child.
Although there are a few individuals who are prepared
to handle and live with wolf/dog hybrid, the majority of these
animals find themselves with people who view them only as status
symbols and who have no idea how to care for them.
Without the proper housing or management skills required for a
hybrid, these people quickly realize that the hybrid has no
place in their home and unfortunately must go-preferably before
they find themselves on the receiving end of a liability suit as
the result of an attack situation. And yet another
wolf/dog hybrid, an animal that I believe should never have been
bred in the first place, must suffer the consequences of an
ignorant and unsuitable owner.
breeding
practices, are part wolf and part dog. After years of
grappling with opposition to their right to breed and keep these
animals, hybrid enthusiasts hoped that with wolves and dogs
viewed scientifically as the same species, exoneration would
soon be theirs. Yet widespread-not to mention
legal-acceptance of wolf/dog hybrids has yet to occur, and the
problems associated with these animals remain. No matter
how closely related dog and wolf may be, we are talking about
the combination of wild and domestic blood. Combine
the two within a single animal and more often than not it
produces an animal that is eternally confused and possibly
unstable.
other young canid, wild or
domestic. But in time-often as early as 6 months of
age-the wild impulses kick in, as does the strength borne of the
animal's hybrid vigor. Stuck in the middle of two worlds,
this increasingly powerful animal does not under-stand
how to express its impulses properly within the context of a pet
household. The animal cannot be housetrained or confined.
Furniture is destroyed (as are small animals who cross the
hybrid's path) and there may be little consistency in the
hybrid's behavior, as both wild and domestic instincts struggle
for psychological control of the animal. In the worse case
scenario, the hybrid must be destroyed in the wake of an attack
on a child.
Although there are a few individuals who are prepared
to handle and live with wolf/dog hybrid, the majority of these
animals find themselves with people who view them only as status
symbols and who have no idea how to care for them.
Without the proper housing
or management skills required for a
hybrid, these people quickly realize that the hybrid has no
place in their home and unfortunately must go-preferably before
they find themselves on the receiving end of a liability suit as
the result of an attack situation. And yet another
wolf/dog hybrid, an animal that I believe should never have been
bred in the first place, must suffer the consequences of an
ignorant and unsuitable owner.