Wolfdogs

A wolfdog is a canid that has both wolf and dog DNA. However, wolves and dogs can make a dangerous mix. Wolves possess a natural fear of people, which is an adaptive behavior that promotes survival in the wild, whereas dogs have adaptive behaviors such as playfulness, loyalty, and protectiveness, which promote their survival as companions for people. When the two are combined, the result is often a conflicted animal caught between two worlds.

Genetics and Unpredictability

Many wolfdog breeders promote the “wolf content” of pups and set their prices according to the “amount of wolf” in the litter. This is not based on sound biology or genetics. When a dog is bred with a wolf, the offspring will inherit 50% of their genes from one parent and 50% from the other. In this case, the offspring would be half dog and half wolf. However, when these animals are backcrossed with other wolves, dogs, or hybrids, there is no way to calculate or manipulate which genes are inherited or expressed. This contributes to the variability and unpredictability in behavior between animals, even from the same litter.

While genetic tests are available, many authorities do not consider them to be reliable. According to testing labs, a genetic test can tell whether there has been wild wolf DNA in a domestic dog’s lineage in the past three generations. People working with wolfdogs often rely more on the animal’s physical appearance and behavior to make an educated decision about how “wolfy” the animal is, which then gets translated to low-, medium-, or high-content wolf.

From a medical perspective, there is no rabies vaccine that has been developed and approved for use in wolves or wolfdogs and most veterinarians will not treat them for liability reasons. Those veterinarians who will treat them often require owners to sign a waiver that states they understand the vaccine is being administered for “off label” use and cannot be relied upon to deliver full protection against rabies. If a known or suspected wolfdog bites someone, they are impounded and/or euthanized.

The Need for Sanctuary

When wolfdogs are forced to conform to a human-centric lifestyle, they can become destructive of property and/or dangerous in dominance disputes. Wolfdogs also have a strong prey drive that cannot be controlled through human commands, meaning any small running creature can be seen as prey — rabbit, cat, or child. Many owners eventually become overwhelmed by the challenges of wolfdog guardianship, and sadly, many animals end up displaced, abandoned, abused, and neglected.

Wolfdogs are often purchased by people who are unaware of the animals’ unique physical and social needs, behavioral traits, and possible characteristics. There are some wolfdog sanctuaries around the country, but not nearly enough to accommodate the large number of animals in need of placement. It is much easier to attain a wolfdog than it is to find placement for one because unlike domestic dogs and cats, these animals cannot be “rehomed” through normal channels of adoption (shelters and rescues). Sadly, the majority of captive-born wolves and wolfdogs are euthanized by the age of 18 months, when they reach sexual maturity and begin to display instinctive behaviors.

Wolf Haven’s Role

Wolf Haven actively discourages the breeding, selling, owning, trafficking, and promoting of wolves and wolfdogs as pets. Since 1982, we have rescued and provided a lifetime home to over 300 displaced, captive-born wolves and wolfdogs. Most rescues come from private ownership and have often faced destruction, neglect, or abuse. At our sanctuary, they are treated with compassion, respect, and dignity from the day they arrive. They receive individualized care, companionship with others of the same species, and large natural enclosures to make their own. At Wolf Haven, they no longer have to be conflicted about who they are. They can simply be.

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