OkcPets Magazine July 2021

O nce upon a time in a small township in a land known as Northeastern Oklahoma, a young wolfdog was born. Though small and helpless, her humans put her in a small, dank pen and treated her as if she were the big, bad wolf. There she lived, without companionship or proper care, for her first four months. Then one day, the knights of Animal Control came and told her people they could no longer keep the pup imprisoned in such a manner. In fact, they would no longer be allowed to keep her at all because wolfdogs were not allowed within the borders of this town. So the Knights of Animal Control took the small wolfdog away to a scary dungeon, or so it seemed to the frightened animal. The “knights” were kind to the puppy, but having no experience with people beyond the ones at her previous home, she was frightened and curled up trembling in a corner, as far away from these humans as the confines of her kennel would allow. Meanwhile, her new caretakers feared the not-so-big, not-so-bad wolfdog would never find safe placement outside of their shelter. While this narrative could play out as a fairytale generations old, it is the all too true plight of a modern-day wolfdog—a story that is unfortunately retold time and again for other similar animals. The term wolfdog describes a dog that is the offspring of a breeding between wolf/dog crosses and domestic dogs. The practice started long ago at fur farms when wolves were crossed with dogs. Today, the cross is most often with one of the northern breeds, such as Huskies and Malamutes, or with working breeds like German Shepherds. The resulting wolfdogs—whether high, mid or low wolf content—can look very much like their wild relatives. People are often fascinated by these dogs. The allure of being around a “wild animal” is strong. The thought of having one as a pet, taking it out and about to impress friends, is a real-life fantasy for some. And irresponsible breeders will cash in on the appeal of these lanky, feral-looking dogs without providing proper education on the reality of life with a wolfdog, with no concern for the ongo- ing welfare of the puppies they send into the world. The fact is that wolfdogs are a random combination of both species and both temperaments. And wolves and dogs are distinctly different animals. We all know our dogs are descendants of wolves, but scientific evi- dence suggests there are 20,000 to 40,000 years of evolution between a wild wolf ’s DNA and today’s domestic dogs. To be perfectly honest, many humans misunderstand or misinterpret everyday dog behavior. Imagine a pet owner trying to decipher the wolf dynamic. It often ends in disaster. Wolfdogs are frequently thrust into the very predicament this pup found herself in. They land in animal shelters because they are being housed in a city, county or state where they are not legal, or they were in the hands of people unable to meet the special requirements of living with a wolfdog. In this specific pup’s case, she had both strikes against her. The third strike would be euthanasia if appropriate placement could not be found. Euthanasia because of DNA seems a harsh sentence for a 4-month-old puppy. Unfortunately, it is all too often the fate of wolfdogs irresponsibly bred and placed in uninformed, unprepared homes. Thankfully, this puppy’s tale does not end tragically in that small town shelter. Serina McMullin, a volunteer at the shelter and this story’s offi- ELU’S Fairytale How the Wolfdog Became a Princess By Nancy Gallimore July/August 2021 • OKC Pets 27 Kainan and Elu