So today we did more weed pulling. Yes, it seems repetitive, but its extremely gratifying. These wolf dogs are dependent on humans for their livelihood as well as their environment. It’s actually a very tragic thing; these are beautiful animals whose instinct is to be loose in the wild. They are meant to hunt their own food, find their own shelter, venture to get water. It’s like having a brilliant mind that is capable of amazing thought and talent yet being restrained to only think certain thoughts within a small range. This restraint is all due to a lack of responsibility. Back yard breeders or puppy mills are what have created this problem for wolf dogs. Wolf dogs are not a natural animal. You don’t find them in the wild, point blank. They are man made. These irresponsible breeders also give a bad reputation to responsible dog breeders. Puppy mills and back yard breeders are people who breed for money. They do not look out for the best interest of the dog. They are not looking to improve the health, structure, beauty, and temperament of the animals and this is how they differ from true breeders. Puppy mills and back yard breeders are responsible for the vast majority of dogs in animal shelters.
Today we got to play with a wolf dog named Raz who was purchased by a young couple, from a wolf dog puppy mill, who were uneducated about wolf dogs. The couple quickly learned that this dog was beyond their control and training. Raz is probably one of the most friendly and outgoing dogs I have ever met. He is considered mid to low content meaning he is more than 20% wolf. They are able to tell this by his characteristics such as the shape of his tail, color of his eyes, and coat color. He is a beautiful animal however his full wolf instincts will never be met because he will always live in captivity. That to me, is tragic for that animal. Breeding domestic animals is a very different situation than breeding wolf dogs. A domestic animal is mentally programmed to like the indoors, attention, and interaction.
We also watched two wolf dogs rough house and play together. It was a male and female, The female was trying to get the male to run around and play . They were pretty much playing tag!The male was also quite a bit chunkier than the female who was athletic and lean. She would grab his leg as if to punish him for not exercising with her. Their interactions were adorable and beautiful. I also noticed how different they interacted than domestic dogs. If two domestic dogs tried to play like these wolf dogs, they would end up in a very aggressive fight however wolves see it as play. Everything is in perspective just like in different cultures how hugging and the volume of your voice can be interpreted in different ways.
Hey Bridgid - I really enjoyed reading this! I had never heard of wolf-dogs prior to this and I agree with you in that it is so sad that irresponsible backyard breeders have created this issue. I think it is so neat that this organization sets out to help these poor animals that otherwise would suffer on their own in the wild. The way these animals interact with each other sounds sweet, but how do the wolf-dogs interact with humans? Are they friendly or skidish?
ReplyDeleteHi! I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it! The wolf dogs' personalities are kind of hit or miss. The wolf dogs who have grown up at the refuge are generally friendly; some are more than others. Most of the time they will be cautious and observant at first until they decide they can trust you and then they just want to play! However, some of the dogs have been abused or have not had enough human interaction, and those are much more reluctant to be inviting to humans.
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