Saturday, 29 September 2018

If I want to buy a baby wolf and raise it, will it be friendly to me and would it be like a dog?


Please don't do it. I accidentally adopted a wolf (hybrid, probably, but she was high-content wolf). By accidentally, I mean I found her on Craigslist looking for a German shepherd. I was told I was getting a German shepherd. Then over the next few weeks, people who saw me walking her in crowded places told me she was a wolf.
I live in an apartment in Oakland, Ca. I don't know what was wrong with this girl who sent a wolf to live here with me.
The six months that followed were some of the most emotionally trying and challenging of my life. After Sasha warning bit every single person who came into my house at least once, and jumped out a second floor window because I left for 45 minutes and she had separation anxiety, all in the first week I had her, I began to question whether I was equipped to raise her. But I knew just about any shelter would put her down, and rehoming her would only compound her issues, so I committed to her. I loved her like a sister and a piece of my own soul, and I miss her, painfully, every single day, still, six years later. Great challenges bring great rewards; I learned so much from Sasha, she was amazing, and I am forever changed by her. But it was so. so. hard.
If I'd had a full time job away from the house, I absolutely would not have been able to do it. She required too much attention. Some members of my family wanted me to put her down - that's how big her issues were.
I also couldn't have done it without my boyfriends pit bull, Riley. I once saw an episode of the Dog Whisperer where Cesar Milan said that the best helpers for dogs who are afraid of people are other dogs. It made me cry because I know just how true that is. Riley is a pretty dominant, rough-and-tumble dog, he has his moments of fitting the "bad pit bull" stereotype; I think he came from a fighting line. But what he did to help her was beautiful and noble and no human and few other dogs could have done it. Don't get it twisted though, part of Riley teaching her to be ok with people involved him protecting people from her. He took her down more than once. But he was also sweet and loving and she adored him like he was the very sun in the sky.
To be clear, when I referenced Cesar Milan's words back there, I should have said canines, because Sasha was NOT A DOG. She didn't even bark until Riley taught her to.
I can't implore you enough that if you want a pet, get a dog. A dog is a pet. A wolf, at best, will be a familiar. A wolf is a wild animal, and you will never change that; rather you will have to constantly manage it, and it will be a huge amount of work, in addition to all the work it takes to have a dog. And who wants to devote themselves to constantly having to suppress what's meant to be wild?
After my experience, I don't believe it is ethical or humane to breed dogs with wolves. Sasha was constantly unsure of herself and confused as to her place in the world. Literally, she didn't know whether she was supposed to hunt the sheep or herd them. That might give you a chuckle, but imagine the stress of living that every day of your life.
She was wild and did not belong on a leash. One night, in her excitement to see another dog friend, she wiggled out of her collar and was hit by a car and instantly killed. It was the worst single moment of my entire existence. Riley had nightmares for weeks after witnessing it. Healing from it has involved learning to understand it as an act of mercy for her. It was really hard being Sasha. She was like a candle burning at both ends, bright and fierce and way too fast. She came to us and learned trust and love and then she had to move on. I wouldn't trade my days with her for the world, but I wouldn't recommend my experience to anyone either, at all.
Edit: To everyone insisting that Sasha was not a wolf, you did not know this animal. I read every bit of information I could find about wolf hybrids, including how to identify them. There is no way you could say for certain that she wasn't a wolf just from these three pictures, although her huge white teeth and long bushy tail, which you can see, say that she was. So do behaviors I already mentioned, like the fact that she didn't bark, as well as many many other traits that I didn't mention. But this isn't a book report on wolf traits, nor why Sasha did or didn't exhibit them. I could take the time to prove it to you, but I'm not going to. I already did that for myself years ago. You can take me at my word when I say that, and then get the actual point of my answer, which is, I believe, sound advice that is probaobly very similar to what anyone else who's had a wolf would give, or you can miss the point, in which case, please also miss me with your comments and take them to a discussion that fits them appropriately. Or don't, but know I don't have time to respond to them.
I really appreciate all the other responses I've gotten to this. I love to talk about Sasha because it keeps her memory alive for me, and I had no idea so many others would like hearing it too. Thanks from the bottom of my heart.

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