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Member Advice Summary
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The Hype on Wolves
by LaBruja | Aug 26 '00
This wily canine has somehow gained a cachet and respectability previously unknown in this country (notable exception, Native Americans respected, even revered wolves). Brought to the brink of extinction in most of the country, wolves are making a...Return to opinion
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Re: Re: I Forgot To Mention (Reply to this comment)
by ebs119
Wolf or No Wolf. We bought our Black German Shepherd from a man who raised wolves,wolf crosses, and German Shepherds. We saw on site, the male wolf which was extremely docile. We also saw the female wolf cross which was extremely hyper and pacing back and forth in her cage. The man claimed that our GSD, Jake, was a full blooded shepherd. We found out later the full truth. Our GSD exhibited traits of extreme aggression and was extremely hyperactive. Our Vet even told us that our GSD did not act like a normal GSD. I have many vet horror stories. We both tried to socialize Jake with other people and animals to see if that would calm him down. We wanted to be able to take Jake for a walk in the park. But that was out of the question. He became unmanageable. He was extremely loyal to us, but would not have anything to do with other people or other animals. We had Jake for 8 years before he jumped the fence during a storm. He was hit by a car and died from internal bleeding. While we loved Jake very much, we were very upset dog owners. I do not recommend anyone having a wolf cross dog. It is like having a child with ADD who needs constant attention and medication. There is no re-training a wolf. They have born instincts! I blame the breeder for lying to us and for creating a cross breed who otherwise could have had more of a normal life.
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Jan 21 '05
6:00 pm PST
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Re: I Forgot To Mention (Reply to this comment)
by LaBruja
Hello, Allisonas. I appreciate you reading this & would like to thank you for your input.
If all Dogs are ALL wolf how is it logically possible that Huskies & Mals are MORE wolf than other dogs?
Wolves are wild dogs. They are the same species as our domestic pets but they are a different subspecies or ‘breed’ & they are not domestic. Dogs are not wolves, wild or domestic. There are in fact no domestic wolves although there are tame wolves. The group ‘dog’ is the inclusive, globular category, not wolf. Dogs are descended from wolves, but this doesn’t make them wolves any more than we are Neanderthals simply because we’re descended from them.
You’re mistaken if you think I dislike or fear wolves. I fear for the wolf. Over 80% of the ‘pet’ wolves are dead within 15 months because people are ill prepared to cope with the very real & demanding challenges they present. This is criminally unfair to these blameless beings & must be stopped.
Huskie or Mal rescue organizations overwhelmingly agree with & support my assertions that Huskies are challenging dogs to live with. This is equally true of knowledgeable, ethical breeders. They are sadly aware of how often people fail their Sibes & the disastrous consequences for the dogs.
Huskie rescue organizations declined to accept a Huskie a friend rescued from the highway. They had too many Huskies & not enough money or people to care for them or place them. She’s mine now.
I placed an ad hoping to find her owners. I rec’d literally DOZENS of responses from people who had lost their Huskie who escaped & disappeared, a common occurrence for the breed. When my daughter took in a roaming Lab we rec’d only 2 or 3 calls. This despite the far greater numbers of Labs out there! When we took in a wandering mutt we rec’d only 1 call (happily the owner). Again, there are far more mixed breeds than Huskies out there but they are not escaping, roaming & disappearing as frequently as Siberians.
I don’t want to sound harsh but your notions of alpha roles within the pack are simplistic & incomplete. They fail to recognize the intelligence & independence of wild & domestic dogs or to deeply understand pack dynamics. A reassessment of wolf packs indicated that pack dynamics are driven by mid ranking females rather than the alphas. Truly a revolutionary concept & quite interesting to ponder.
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Feb 25 '04
6:03 pm PST
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I Forgot To Mention (Reply to this comment)
by allisonas
Another mistake I noticed that I forgot to mention was that LaBruja said only SOME dogs are part wolf. Actually, ALL dogs are ALL wolf. So even if you don't like it, face it. You're dog is a wolf. Yes, even LaBruja's huskie. Huskies and Mals are the type of dog that is more wolf than any other dog. Because they, unlike most dog breeds, look like their wild brother. The only way to tell a wolf from a huskie is the distinctive mask on the huskie's face.
I am here to inform all of you about the truth about wolves. Because I am a wolf expert. LaBruja is correct in the fact that keeping wolves is wrong. However, a wolf would not be hard to manage. Wolves look up to their leader in a pack. The leader is called the Alpha. There are two alphas, the alpha male and alpha female. You may have heard that the alpha male is the only leader, but actually, the alpha male AND female are equal in power. When people domesticated the wolf many years ago, people become the wolves' alhpa. So the wolves looked up to people and followed their rules as they would do in a wolf pack. That is what makes dogs listen to us and obey us. Their instinct to be lead by the alpha. They see their owners as the alpha male and female. I will continue to write reviews telling the truth about the world's most misunderstood animal.
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Feb 24 '04
7:37 am PST
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The Facts (Reply to this comment)
by allisonas
I apreciate Labruja's knowledge that wolves are not vicious killers. However wolves are not just wild. They are also the friendliest wild animal on the planet. No, I didn't make that up. She also said that wolves are dogs, but dogs are not wolves. I'm afraid she made a mistake there too. DOGS are wolves, but wolves ARE NOT dogs. You see, thousands of years ago, people domesticated wolves. So wolves are only the ancestors of dogs. Dogs decended from wolves. Another mistake I noticed was that she said huskies and mals are hard to manage and are disobedient. Actually, they are very manageable.
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Feb 23 '04
3:50 pm PST
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My opinion on wolves (Reply to this comment)
by allisonas
Ok. You think wolves are scum right? Well guess what? You and your friends are wrong! Wolves are terribly misunderstood! They actually are the friendliest animals on the planet! Don't you dare think I made that up! That is a fact! Wolves wouldn't hurt you if their life depended on it! If you don't show this message, I'll keep saying bad things about you!
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Feb 21 '04
5:25 pm PST
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Re: Excellent review (Reply to this comment)
by LaBruja
Absolutely agree with your conclusions. Failure with Siberian Huskies is very high b/c of their wild tendencies, but most of 'em are strongly people oriented, very friendly and reliable with humans...unlike their wild bro', El Lobo! And it is the wolf that consistently, always loses in this!
As you've wisely noted Chows demand special owners to succeed. People that casually acquire them b/c they're great guard dogs or(!)sooo cute drive me wild. When these owners fail their Chow it's another mark against the dog! Jacinta
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Nov 26 '00
5:44 pm PST
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Excellent review (Reply to this comment)
by Erinys
which makes several valuable points about wolf ownership...something which is definitely not for everyone.
I think you're right that wolves and dogs are essentially the same animal. The difference is that almost every species which we call a "dog" has spent thousands of years living and working alongside humans. Over the centuries, humans have deliberately genetically manipulated dogs to produce a variety of strains, but one feature of the dog's essential character is always paramount: it must be predisposed to peacefully co-exist with humans.
Wolves, on the other hand, are the product of pure natural selection--not human selection. They aren't predisposed to peacefully co-exist with humans: they're predisposed to live with other wolves. There are instincts still in place in a wolf which have been bred completely out of a dog...instincts which have served wolves well for thousands of years, but would get most dogs destroyed immediately.
There are a lot of breeds of dog which have an extra helping of "wild" in them: the Huskies and Malamutes you mention, and the Chinese Chow-Chow as well. As a long-term and very happy Chow-Chow owner, I know that the antisocial tendencies of these animals can be greatly reduced by careful training early in life...but without that careful trainer, you can end up with an animal which is extremely dangerous to strangers.
Given this personal experience, I can only assume that wolves and wolf-crosses are very similar to a dog with a strong streak of wild...multiplied by a hundred. Only the most experienced and dedicated animal owner should attempt to make one of these animals a pet: they certainly aren't animals you should buy for the sake of what amounts to machismo!
Great review: keep it up. Popular misconceptions about pets like these can be truly deadly.
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Nov 23 '00
7:43 pm PST
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Re: Now that you said it.. (Reply to this comment)
by LaBruja
So many wolves tend to be shy and fearful in human society...truly at odds with their macho image! Jacinta
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Nov 20 '00
7:23 pm PST
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Re: Couldn't agree with you more (Reply to this comment)
by LaBruja
Karen,
Bravo! What a terrific idea! Jacinta
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Nov 20 '00
7:20 pm PST
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Now that you said it.. (Reply to this comment)
by Petra
.. it reminded me of our German Shepherd/White Shepherd mix "Dutch". His coloring made him look a bit like a Husky to some, and many people always insisted that he had to be part wolf, which was total nonsense. We knew the mom and the roaming dad. :-)
One of my ex's crazed friends had a thing for collecting odd dogs. One of them was a wolf he brought over to our house once, and it was quite cowardly. The guy would give it a sharp command and it ran into a corner and curled up and didn't move all night. But it sure was one BIG animal...
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Oct 07 '00
11:58 am PDT
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Couldn't agree with you more (Reply to this comment)
by cwenwyn
Very good analysis. People think that since they believe wolves are intelligent (which they are) they speak our language, respect our boundaries and follow our social structure. And then they are surprised or hurt by the realities.
I suggest this. If you want a wolf, go down to the local humane shelter and pick out a young shaggy looking companion who needs love. Name him Wolf. And the two of you profit.
Not enough? Want to connect to the big boys in a more personal way? Find one of the organizations that is protecting wild habitats, doing surveys, making the breed strong. Then make a sizable donation. You "own" a wolf, he's in his safe, natural envoironment and nobody is hurt in the process. Or support your local zoo. Many have programs which will give you a picture or plaque of the animal that your contribution "feeds" for a year.
http://www.indra.com/fallline/mw/#sponsor
http://home.acadia.net/mainewolf/membership.html
https://www.sinapu.org/
http://www.wolfhaven.org/thewolves.htm
Karen
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Sep 22 '00
7:40 am PDT
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Re: I was roommates with a wolf owner ... (Reply to this comment)
by LaBruja
What you say is so true! Wolf ownership is such an appealingly romantic notion. The reality is rarely fun.
A Shepherd/wolf combo can be more problematic though not 'terrible'. Most experienced wolf cross owners prefer crosses with Malamutes and Huskies b/c these already have a number of wolfish traits. Some Shepherd lines have strong guarding instincts which are not a good idea in a wolf. Jacinta
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Sep 03 '00
8:11 pm PDT
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I was roommates with a wolf owner ... (Reply to this comment)
by daviddennis
for a while. Interesting creature. He was actually pretty tame, so I suspect he was one of those fake wolves, although I think I was told she was a wolf/german shepherd, which I think you mentioned is a terrible combination.
Strangely enough, she never gave us that much trouble, but she was certainly a fearsome looking creature.
I fear that a lot of the New Age type folks who sound like they want to worship vicious predators and sleep in the outdoors have no concept of what it actually means to do either. I suppose that's only amusing until their folly hurts them and/or other people and/or even the wolves themselves.
D
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Sep 02 '00
6:33 pm PDT
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Re: Brilliant. (Reply to this comment)
by LaBruja
Thanks. I sooo love your comments. Jacinta
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Aug 27 '00
12:41 am PDT
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Brilliant. (Reply to this comment)
by achoo
Again, you are a voice of reason. Great commentary!
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Aug 26 '00
11:14 pm PDT
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