Taking Care of a Wolf (Non-GSD)

[mosul210]

Originally Posted by Anitsisqua

New information today:

Pup was presented as blind, and seems to be MOSTLY blind. Still seems to have some vision in one eye.

Pup was presented as a 97% wolf, 3% malamute hybrid

Pup is howling up a little storm

Wolf hybrids are illegal in Houston, so they're looking into verifying "wolf" status or rehoming.

Ok finally got a chance to review the thread. Let me start by saying this is not a wolfdog. For many reasons some already stated such as the animal's birthdate, markings, lack of banded color, etc. (BTW northen breeds are notorious for howling, this does not a wolfdog make).

What concerns me is not so much the content but its needs if indeed it is blind and the owners ability to meet those needs. This to me at least looks like a situation where good intentions do not necessarily make a good situation. IMO at this point the best we can do is continue to provide information on support and facilities for special needs canines.

[msvette2u]

northen breeds are notorious for howling

Oh yes, they are!
We had huskies next door to us and the dingbat owner (rescuer...hah) let them stay out ALL night and that's all they did ALL night.

BTW, even if that was a wolf dog, it's not 97% wolf, it may be a low content but definitely not 97% which leads me to suspect it's just a regular (but cute!) mutt.

We had a rare opportunity to foster a (full) coyote pup and that pup was absolutely nothing like a dog.
NOTHING.
Other than it's puppy breath

Originally Posted by Jo Ellen

More wolves in cages than live in the wild. My heart weeps.

Why can't we leave wolves alone.

This

[mosul210]

Originally Posted by mosul210

Ok finally got a chance to review the thread. Let me start by saying this is not a wolfdog. For many reasons some already stated such as the animal's birthdate, markings, lack of banded color, etc. (BTW northen breeds are notorious for howling, this does not a wolfdog make).

What concerns me is not so much the content but its needs if indeed it is blind and the owners ability to meet those needs. This to me at least looks like a situation where good intentions do not necessarily make a good situation. IMO at this point the best we can do is continue to provide information on support and facilities for special needs canines.

BTW this is what a 6wk old high content wolfdog looks like. They are born a solid dark color, yes even the white artic wolves.

[BowWowMeow]

Is there a reputable northern breed or even large breed rescue in your area?

I think it's pretty obvious now that this is not a wolf dog but he does have special needs.

[Mr & Mrs Kirkley]

I didn't know wolf dogs were only born in spring and the pups are always black. But when I looked at the picture, I didn't think the pup looked like a wolf because the snout was too short. Speaking of wolves, I think I might've had a wolf mix dog once for a very short time until we found a home for it with a farmer. It looked like a malamute, but the tail didn't curl at all. It had slanted white eyes and 2 black stripes going down its snout that turned to brown right above the nose. There were 3 reasons I thought it had wolf in it. One was the size. This was the tallest and longest malamute like dog I've ever seen and it was a female. Second reason was the way it acted. It wasn't potty trained and when it peed, it pranced around and howled like it was showing off the fact that it peed. The third reason I thought it might be a a wolf mix was it had some sort of gland on its tail that smelled really weird. Does that sound like a wolf dog?

[Anitsisqua]

I actually did know about the howling thing. I thought I mentioned that I knew that didn't mean anything for sure, but realized too late to edit that I happened.

There's an obnoxious malamute near me. His trademark move is to get as close to someone's face as possible and howl. I wonder why Gabe doesn't like him...

[Anitsisqua]

*** UPDATE ***

They have accepted the fact that they gotten taken and would like to keep the puppy, since owning huskies, malamutes, etc. is still completely legal.

They're having a blood test done on the puppy to determine which breeds he is (and to prove, in case there is any question, that he is not actually a wolf hybrid)

Thank you for all of your assistance and advice.

[carmspack]

"some sort of gland on its tail that smelled really weird. Does that sound like a wolf dog? " ewww , sounds like an impacted anal gland that needs to be expressed -- all dogs have an anal gland.

[Freestep]

Originally Posted by Mr & Mrs Kirkley

I think I might've had a wolf mix dog once for a very short time until we found a home for it with a farmer. It looked like a malamute, but the tail didn't curl at all. It had slanted white eyes and 2 black stripes going down its snout that turned to brown right above the nose. There were 3 reasons I thought it had wolf in it. One was the size. This was the tallest and longest malamute like dog I've ever seen and it was a female. Second reason was the way it acted. It wasn't potty trained and when it peed, it pranced around and howled like it was showing off the fact that it peed. The third reason I thought it might be a a wolf mix was it had some sort of gland on its tail that smelled really weird. Does that sound like a wolf dog?

No.

There are lots of breeds that are taller and longer than Malamutes, and contrary to popular belief, most wolves are not that large. I think they average about the same as GSDs, 65-90 lb. Some subspecies may grow larger, but we have many dog breeds that are much larger than wolves. The idea that a dog is part wolf because it is large, is a fanciful one, and probably encouraged by wolfdog breeders.

Just because a dog is not housebroken does not mean it is part wolf. Prancing around howling after urinating sounds more like a Malamute.

All dogs have scent glands--the anal glands--and there is another one about midway down the tail.

[pets4life]

Originally Posted by RocketDog

I actually disagree with those who say it doesn't look like it doesn't have any wolf in it. I rescued my first pup at 6 1/2 weeks from the humane society here (they were overfull and knew pups would get adopted fast)-- my roommate went up to see some "wolf hybrid pups" out of the paper, up by mt Spokane. Hers was MOST DEFINITELY wolf hybrid-- it killed the litter of kittens her cat had when it was barely over 4 months and you could watch a nat geo episode and her dog looked like it stepped off the screen. Never was very "dog-like". Had the same face as that picture here on the first page.

My pup--- who knew what he was? Not the HS. Just a mutt. But I saw behaviors I wondered about, he grew to be over 30" and weighed 120ibs when he was lean. My vets argued back and forth whether he was a wolf-hybrid. I didn't care, I knew he was at least partly dog and had some GSD by his ears. When he developed bone cancer at almost 10 yrs old, we took him to WSU vet hospital. They promptly listed him as a wolf hybrid. I argued a bit, but they insisted they could tell by his teeth, the measure of his head and jaw, stuff like that. They were amazed at how well-behaved he was though. He did da/n sure look like one, but who knows or cares?

You can pm me if you want and I can tell you more specifics. He did have some habits and such that were nor like other dogs I've had since-- but he handled my kids in stride (never could break him of small animal prey, nor did he particularly like other dogs). There's pics of him on here somewhere in some thread.

I know siberian husky that will kill a litter of kittens in a second and act just like wolves also and i can convince people they are wolves. Same with malamutes and northern sled dogs. You mix them all up you get a pretend wolf.