So You Want a Wolfdog?

Hmm, you're back. Let me tell you a story about a post-surgery, low-content wolfdog who was staying in my house. Poor Tanner needed to stay with me to recuperate. I was nervous about leaving him alone with the cats, even though I had him locked in a bedroom, so I took the week off work. I picked him up from the vet's office. Actually, he was making them nervous, so they called and demanded I come and get him, then I set him up in a crate in the spare room. About 5 minutes after exiting the room, a loud bang sounds. I open the door, and the crate, completely intact, is empty. Tanner is in the closet. I grabbed some snaps for the edges of the crate, though I didn't have enough to do the whole crate, so I put him back up. A few minutes later, I hear strange noises coming from the room. I open the door, expecting to see him trying to get out of the crate. Instead, I am faced with an empty crate and a wolfdog back in the closet.

At this point, I give up. He can stay in the closet. During the week, he was generally very good; he enjoyed it when I would sit with him, pouted a bit when I left, but caused very little trouble. Then, about 6 days later, I received a panicked phone call from Marti; she couldn't find her cat and was afraid he had gotten outside. Because I am paranoid. I put Tanner in the crate, shut the bedroom door, and put up a baby gate. Then I locked all my dogs and cats in my bedroom before leaving the house. I was gone less than 15 minutes (Marti found the cat and called me). When I returned home, I was greeted at the door by the wagging tail and happy expression of a very pleased wolfdog.

Tanner had broken out of the crate, chewed a massive chunk out of the solid wood door, ripped the door off one of its hinges, and tore down the baby gate. Remember, Tanner was a pretty low-content wolfdog.

Still interested? I guess you really are a lost cause. Welcome to the club. All dogs, all pets, are a major responsibility. Wolfdogs more so than most. There are very few places you can take a wolfdog if you decide you don't want it, or feel you can't keep it. Or if something happens to you and you don't have someone willing to take care of your wolfdog. So you need to be sure that you have a very, very good idea of what you are getting.

Recommended Reading

Before making any decisions, we strongly recommend these books:

• Living with Wolfdogs by Nicole Wilde — wolfdog-specific care guide
• Wolfdogs A-Z by Nicole Wilde — comprehensive wolfdog behavior reference
• Culture Clash by Jean Donaldson — perspective on dog behavior
• The Other End of the Leash by Patricia McConnell — human-animal interaction

Consider a Rescue

A lot of people don't take the time or care to research animals before deciding to get them as pets. I don't know if that is more true of wolfdogs, or if it just seems that way because there are so few options for unwanted wolfdogs. But if you are interested in sharing your life with one of these amazing animals, I highly recommend finding one that needs a home. With an adult animal, you have a better idea of what you are getting than with a puppy, and, based on past behavior, you can make informed decisions about the level of containment security that is necessary. Possibly saving quite a bit of money.

We don't adopt out our wolfdogs, and that is true for many wolfdog sanctuaries, but we often get contacted about animals we can't take in. So if you are interested in adopting, don't hesitate to contact local sanctuaries. They may still be able to send great animals your way.