Thursday, March 17, 2011

So you think it doesn't hurt to call a dog a wolfdog?

Tell that to this sweet baby, killed because of misrepresentation and ignorance.

"This black dog was killed this morning, because it bit a kid. The dog had puppies, (courtesy of a pit bull), and the owners and Animal Control said it was a wolfdog. I do not see a wolf hair in this dog. This abuse has to stop. Please, stand by me as I contact Sheriff Duncan and offer EDUCATION, and a complain that this dog was killed needlessly, and it brain sent to Raleigh needlessly, at our taxpaying expense."

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Why is it so hard to understand?

What constitutes a bad wolfdog breeder is first and foremost, the care of the animals. If they are kept on short chained for all of their lives, then that is not a good home for them. If they are bred every single time the female comes into season, that is not a good breeder. If there are multiple litters being born at once, that is not a good breeder. If the basics aren't met, then that is not a good home for the animal, especially not one where he or she is used for breeding.

Another VERY IMPORTANT factor that separates the "good" wolfdog breeders from the "bad" is, you guessed it, misrepresentation.
It seems like we go over the dangers of misrepresentation very often. I'll do it again now, just so it MIGHT somehow get through the thick skulls of some people who just refuse to see the truth.
The dangers of misrepresenting the amount of wolf in an animal cannot be taken lightly! This is a serious issue and we need all of the help we can get to educate the public and unfortunately certain "wolfdog" owners/breeders on content and why it is not a good idea to lie or exaggerate the amount of wolf in an animal.

Dangers for the owner include that if they decide to get another "wolf" as a friend for Lobo, this time the real thing, they will be in for a huge surprise. More wolf content does not make a better pet! Human ego causes us to want to own something "exotic," a "piece of the wild" -- something to flaunt and show off to our friends. This "wolf" can either be a husky that somewhat resembles one, or a Labrador mix that somebody wants to spice up by calling it a "hybrid". Those people that brag about their so-called wolf are only putting their companions in danger. If the 'wolf' dog EVER causes harm to a person or animal, or gets loose and is impounded, well guess what, chances are they won't get him back...all because of some idiot's inflated ego.

Many veterinarians refuse to treat animals that are (supposedly) part wolf. Your veterinarian is not trained to assess wolf content. They typically go with what the customer says- if you say your animal is part wolf, that is what they will put down on paper. Hopefully, they won't suggest to people that their dog might be part wolf - because chances are, it isn't. Unless it looks like a wolf (and after seeing so many VERIFIED wolves and wolfdogs, it gets very easy to recognize the ones that are actually part wolf and the ones that aren't), it probably is not part wolf.

Phenotyping is the only way to determine the amount of wolf content in an animal whose lines are not accurate and verified. Also, remember that after the initial wolf x dog 50/50 cross, the percentages on paper are meaningless. Even though breeding two 50% animals together will produce animals that are 50% wolf on paper, the variations within the litter can and probably will be quite striking. Some pups will look very wolf-like, and others very dog-like. After that 50/50 cross, everything is up to genetics. And no, there is NOT a DNA test that can tell you the percentage of wolf in your animal. Breeders will say that their animals were DNA tested and that's how they "know" their curly-tailed blue eyed dogs are 96.75% wolf. Which is a good excuse, right? Who's going to argue with science? That's what makes it frustrating. People believe the lies of those breeders because they do make themselves sound good. They might take care of their babies, but my misrepresenting their content, they are putting themselves and their animals in danger.

Phenotyping is determining the wolf content of an animal based on appearance. It is the safest bet when working with rescues or animals from crappy breeders who don't really know what they have. When done by someone who knows what to look for, it is a very useful tool. It helps save a lot of lives, for example when a malamute mix is turned in to a county shelter by his owners as a "hybrid", if it weren't for wolfdog rescuers stepping in and saying "no, that animal does not have any wolf in him", that poor dog would have been euthanized. All because of 1) his owner's stupidity and 2) WOLFDOG MISREPRESENTATION.

Isn't it interesting how all of these breeders of so-called high content wolfdogs, with animals with blue eyes, curly tails, big ears, short muzzles, facial markings, white toenails...isn't it interesting how NONE of the animals at Wolf Park look like that? Isn't it just amazing how none of the wolves in our high school biology book look like that? How none of the wolves on National Geographic shows look like that?

So what is the explanation, then?!??

Living a "tame" life changes them biologically? LOL. Yes, over THOUSANDS of years, it sure will! But when you have a TRUE wolfdog, it's not gonna look like a husky/malamute mix. It's going to look like a WOLF and have at least some wolf characteristics. It's not going to look just like a mixed breed dog you can find at the county shelter.

I'm going to stop for now...but for those who haven't seen the latest mess that the idiots of the world are stirring:
http://wolfdognazis.webs.com/