A wolf hybrid at S.C. CARES

Meet Fuzzy, one of our wolf-hybrids at SC CARES. Fuzzy’s family came to SC CARES in 2009 from a lady in a county that wolf hybrids were illegal.

Fuzzy’s father, Shiloh, is the pack member that is suspected to have wolf in his lineage. Fuzzy, Shiloh and her sister Lobo are most definitely high content dog. This group of canines is probably the most popular with our volunteers. Fuzzy is the greeter of this group and never meets a stranger. She so loving and will offer kisses to you on your first visit! Fuzzy is named appropriately and has to have a haircut every spring to help her shed her winter coat. What a wonderful ball of fur she is!

With wolf hybrids it’s sometimes difficult to tell exactly how much wolf their bloodline may contain but with this pack we’re pretty sure their percentages are high content dog. Based on information from our wolf advisor if they’re able to eat kibble (dog food) without stomach upset then it’s most likely they’re high content dog. Also the front leg placement is another sign; the wolves’ front legs are closer together seeming to extend from the chest and not the shoulder area. This is probably what gives wolves more speed while running. The most distinct difference is the higher the wolf content, the less likely they will bark. Wolves howl and do not bark!

The problem with these types of animals in household settings is that we tend to treat them more like our full blooded dog companions and this may work most days but not always. I have heard of many wolf hybrids incorporated into family settings and no issues occurred. Most fatal attacks of wolf hybrids are to small children and not usually in the immediate family. The higher the content of wolf in an animal the more risk there may be for something to go sideways. Our canine companions are of course descendents of our brother wolf but through the centuries the instincts have been diluted from that of the wolf. The predator/prey instinct seems to be what drives attacks that have occurred, such as a child running in play. The wolf instincts tell them to make chase, which increases adrenaline to capture said prey and the rest is unfortunate. Sadly the wolf hybrid’s ability to obey commands such as stop, sit etc., may not be reliable as a source of training to attempt to control the animal. Wolves are by their very nature unpredictable and not always responsive to human grooming. Another issue for thought is the bite pressure wolves can apply verses dogs. Testing shows that most large breed dogs have bite pressures of 300 pounds per square inch (psi) whereas the wolves bite pressure is 1,500 psi. This alone can make the difference between injury verses death.

Sadly there are still breeders out there breeding very high content wolf dogs and selling them to the general public. This is not only a sad situation for the high content wolf hybrid but makes for a very unpredictable, potentially dangerous situation. A lot of counties and states have now incorporated laws to prohibit owning a wolf dog, which will help once the demand for purchasing these animals ceases.

Unfortunately here at SC CARES we’ve turned away numerous wolf hybrids that had to be euthanized because all of the hybrid rescues are full. It’s a very sad and unfair issue for these animals did not ask for this fate.

This story was originally published December 8, 2015 at 9:23 PM with the headline "A wolf hybrid at S.C. CARES."