Seijun

It's really sad the number that are misrepresented though. Rescue work would be so much easier if breeders didn't sell misrepresented wolfdogs. Of the 52 or so wolfdogs on my Adoption page, only about 6 have wolf in them [b]for sure[/b], only about 4 have a [i]good chance[/i] of being part wolf, and all the rest probably have little or no wolf in them at all. ~Seij

Oh yeah, and I always have to smirk when someone says the dog is part "Timber wolf." Most people are led into believing that Timber wolves are a Gray wolf subspecies. They are not. "Timber" is used to describe [i]any[/i] of Northern forest-dwelling wolf subspecies. Responsible breeders never refer to their wolves or wolf mixes as [b]just[/b] "Timber wolf." They should know exactly what wolf subspecies is in the mix, so when someone with a wolf mix has no clue what kind of wolf is in the dog other than "Timber wolf" that can be an automatic marker that they bought from an irresponsible breeder (which in turn usually means the dog has little or no wolf in it anyway). This guy needs to be careful though, if he gets caught it's almost always an automatic death sentense for the dog even if the only "proof" is that the owner at one time said the dog was part wolf. That's all the state needs. ~Seij

He probably thinks it is part wolf because he probably thinks one of the parents was a wolf or part wolf. People will believe anything. I once met a lady with a dog she said was 98% wolf even though it looked 98% rottweiler. The newest trend has been Pit Bull/wolf and Rottweiler/wolf mixes. These wolfdogs are bred and sold by breeders as being good guard or "attack" dogs. It is doubtful however that any actually have wolf in them. Wolves are shy and like to avoid fighting. A true Pit Bull or Rottweiler/wolf mix would most likely not make a good guard or attack dog and would not be marketable as such. All of the Pit Bull/wolf mixes and Rottweiler/wolf mixes I have seen thus far were most likely mixed with Husky or German shepherd mixes (like the one you saw), not wolves. ~Seij

Once I was walking with Shilo, my friend, and her puppy, and this huge mix puppy from nearby came out and was trying to play with my friends little puppy and started getting all tangled up in the leash and was practcally squishing the small puppy. Shilo got very upset and rushed in, distracted the big puppy, and lured it away by pretending she wanted to play with it. It was pretty neat to watch a dog actually thinking like that. ~Seij

Tonight walking home with Shilo, I hear a woman nearby calling for her dog. Of course I had to stop because Shilo wanted to stare at the dog and drool. The dog is ignoring the owner's command so she kneels down and calls the dog in a happy high pitched voice and the dog immediately comes to her so I am thinking "good, finally someone who knows how to call a dog." Then she grabs the dog by the collar and starts smacking him yelling "bad dog!" several times. I couldn't believe it, how can anyone be so stupid!? Does she not realize that the only thing she is doing is teaching the dog it will get in trouble for coming?? If I wasn't so afraid of people and I didn't think it would freak the woman out to have someone pop out from nowhere in the middle of the night, I would have told her off for what she had done. Grrr.... Sorry, I needed to rant :x

Her name is Shilo. It used to be "Shiloh" but I hate the Shiloh books so I dropped off the "h" at the end. ~Seij

I own one no-low content wolfdog right now. I plan on helping rescue more myself though when I get the room. The main reasons that the wolfdogs on that page were dumped is actually not because they were part wolf. The majority of the wolfdogs listed there probably have little or no wolf in them but unfortunately were labeled part wolf at some point in there lives. Most were dumped because they roamed, tore up the house, or escaped their enclosures constantly. These are all things normal northern breed dogs do on a regular basis. ~Seij

The Shiloh shepherd was NOT created using wolves. I have no idea where that "myth" even got started. ~Seij

Next time take pictures of the poor dog tied. ~Seij

Hey, it was only a suggestion. I wasn't rying to say I was 100% sure that's why his tail was docked, I was only guessing :D ~Seij

Why else then would they dock the tail of an explosive detection dog's tail then? I know it sound weird, but it is plausible. I know on the cops shows if the drug dog find the drugs it turns around, sits, and WAGS ITS TAIL. If it was a bomb behind the dog, there is serious risk the dog could set it off with its tail. Dogs are taught to find that stuff through possitive reinforcement. When they do their job, they're happy because they know they are going to get rewarded. Happiness=wagging tail. Guess I need to find someone with an explosives detection dog and ask 'em.. ~Seij

I don't know anything about chesapeke bay retrievers, but labs and goldens are for retrieving, not running at top speed through dense thickets and possibly barbed fences. English pointers are long distance runners, designed more for large wide open spaces, hence the non-docked tails. German Short-haired pointers are made for working in smaller fielded/forested areas that are more likely to be heavily weeded, have a lot of briars, and have a lot more old and/or hidded barbed fences. I saw a picture of an explosives detective dog, a german shepherd of some kind, with a docked tail. At first I thought this was strange, but it does make sense to me now. Suppose the dog found an explosive, turned around, and its tail hit the explosive blowing everyone up? Sounds to me like a pretty good reason to dock.. ~Seij

What's the seller going to do!? People are actually BIDDING on his "imaginary dog"!! ~Seij

Why doesn't Italy just ban all dogs in general? It would be a lot easier. :roll: ~Seij

Hi, I had problems with my adult dog, also EXTREMELY mouthy, and only one method stopped her. Other people I have met have also used this method and have reported it as working wonders. Some people think it is cruel, but it is no more cruel than using a squirt bottle. The method is as follows: "When the canine mouths you, insert your thumb into the bottom of his mouth with your thumb pressing down on the soft part of the mouth under the tongue (not hard, your intent is not to create pain, only slight discomfort). At the same time, your fingers should be curled under the canine's chin, applying slight pressure to the chin. In other words, your thumb and fingers should be pressing toward each other, with the canine's chin between your thumb and fingers. While doing this, follow up on the verbal command of "No Bite!" or "Off" or some such command that you will use throughout the life of your animal. Most canines will react by pushing at your thumb with his tongue and trying to pull his lower jaw out of your grip. After a few times of doing this, the canine will eventually realize that mouthing people results in this reprimand, and the animal will then learn to keep its mouth off of people. This is a painless and highly successful way of teaching bite inhibition to older canines who haven't been taught it as pups." ~Seij

She has made arrangements for them to be sent to someone outside the state. In the meantime, she plans to fight this anyway she can. ~Seij

ShatteringGlass, the breeder was a byb and did not want to get involved. That's why there are no papers. The malamute claim was defended by using the fact that the dogs came from a mal breeder and that Peggy and her team could not find any wolfy traits on the dogs to identify them as a hybrid. It was also defended using numerous presentations explaining wolf from dog, which the judge never bothered to look at. Kat, I would love to see the wolves and hybrids you worked with, because these two dogs are nothing more than backyard-bred mals perhaps with a little husky in them. Small paws, big ears, short legs, defined stop, rounded skull, short muzzle, pink noses, defined markings, etc all point directly away from wolf heritage. ~Seij

The dogs came from a mal breeder, but I don't know if she had papers for them or not. The mals have smaller feet and bigger ears then what you would see on most Malamutes so there is a possibility they have husky in them but IMO a mal of that quality could have come from any byb. These dogs were pets, not show quality dogs. Besides, the only thing they had saying they were hybrids was the word of a neighbor (so I was told originaly, and malamum here knows perfectly well how good the "average Joe" is as identifying hybrids :wink: ) the word of the shelter (who had previousy labeled an Irish Wolfhound as a wolf hybrid (shows how much they know) the word of Peggy (who's only "evidence" was yellow eyes and something about they way the dogs stood-BS) and an FDR agent (who thought one might be domestic and the other a hybrid-the dogs are siblings, hello?? :roll: ). However, Kim had the word of many, MANY people experienced with mals, including breeders and rescuers, some being in the top ranks as far as their kind, to say that the dogs were mals, and at best, perhaps mixed with husky. But Kat, hon, why do you think she should have to prove they're [i]not[/i] hybrids if the court couldn't even prove if they [i]were[/i]? It makes no sense, and it's part of the reason why ANY sort of BSL should be shot down. It gives those people the right to confiscate any dog they think looks like a wolf, regardless of whether or not they have any proof! It's the same with the bully breeds. ~Seij

Heh, if you or anyone else thinks they are hybrids, please point out to me exactly what part of them looks like a wolf. I can tell you from experience, there is not one wolf-like quality in either of those dogs. Not even Peggy and her "team" of "experts" could find any. BTW, if you're having trouble, here's a webpage to help out: [url]http://www.geocities.com/durkriswen/[/url] ~Seij

The dogs had done nothing but get lose that one day. AC, who had originally confiscated the dogs as "hybrids" even stated recently that the two dogs had the best temparments of any of the dogs they had in the shelter, even from the day they first arrived at the shelter. ~Seij

The lady with the two mals labled wolf hybrids lost her case... :x The dogs have now been ordered to leave the state or be PTS. Pictures of the dogs, Odin and Razor, can be seen here: [url]http://tinyurl.com/4agd3[/url] Email address= [email][email protected][/email] Password= heckner The previous topic concerning this is here: [url]http://forum.dogomania.com/viewtopic.php?t=16553&postdays=0&postorder[/url] To read up on details of how the trial went, please visit: [url]http://www.wildpaw.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=2360&st=45[/url] Peggy Callahan is a self-proclaimed wolf expert who would prefer that all wolf hybrids be killed anyway, and the judge in the case basically had his mind made up from the beginning on how to rule in the trial. I talked to Kimberly and according to her the judge never even looked at any of the information presented to him by the defense. She is planning to fight it though, something must be done to stop this insanity... BTW, here is an article concerning the case, of course it does not mention the overwhelming evidence the defense frovided to prove the dogs were mals, and the total lack of evidence her opponents had... [quote]City rules wolf dogs must go Kimberly Grebowski testified her dogs are Alaskan Malamutes and 'fun-loving boys.' But experts disagree, so she must find a new home for her pets. BY ROBERT INGRASSIA Pioneer Press A St. Paul pet owner cried Friday after listening to a verdict she had hoped never to hear: Odin and Razor are part wolf. Kimberly Grebowski doesn't believe it, insisting that her pets are Alaskan malamutes. But with a hearing officer concluding otherwise, Grebowski now must find a home for her companions outside St. Paul. "I can't believe that this determination has come out the way it has," Grebowski said, tears rolling down her cheeks. "They are two happy, fun-loving boys, my babies, who have not ever done anything to anybody, not so much as a scratch." Odin and Razor have been confined to the city animal pound since Aug. 25, when an animal control officer caught them running unleashed near Grebowski's East Side home. What would have typically been a short incarceration (for the dogs) and a fine (for Grebowski) turned into a serious ordeal when Bill Stephenson, the city's animal control supervisor, and an outside wildlife expert concluded that Odin and Razor were wolf-dog hybrids. City code bans such animals. Grebowski and her supporters fought Friday to overturn Stephenson's finding. During a two-hour hearing at City Hall, a malamute breeder and other backers told a hearing officer that Odin and Razor looked like malamutes, not wolves. "I haven't seen anything in Odin and Razor to conclude they are anything but Alaskan malamutes," said Sheila Timbers-Hjermstad, a Plymouth-based breeder. Grebowski's sister, Aimmy Vang, testified that Odin and Razor are great pets. "My children have been around Odin and Razor since they were pups," said Vang, whose five children range in age from 5 to 15. "My son has pulled both their tails and pulled their ears and done all sorts of things and these dogs have never shown anything aggressive." Wolf expert Peggy Callahan, testifying on the city's behalf, said she believed the animals are hybrids. "I'm giving a very educated guess," said Callahan, executive director of the Wildlife Science Center in Forest Lake. "I've been looking at wolves a long time, and I think these are wolf hybrids." City officials and their two expert witnesses acknowledged that no scientific test exists to determine if an animal is part wolf. Experts examine an animal's looks and behavior to form an opinion about an animal's lineage. Hearing officer Marcia Moermond gave Grebowski until Monday afternoon to decide whether she wanted to find a home for the animals outside St. Paul. Moermond ordered city officials not to destroy Odin and Razor before Jan. 1, regardless of what Grebowski decides. "I wish I could've given you a better outcome," Moermond told Grebowski. "I can't in good conscience do that." Grebowski said she is considering sending the animals to a facility outside Minnesota. She said she also is contemplating appealing Moermond's decision to the state Court of Appeals, which city officials said is the designated venue to challenge such rulings. One matter left unsettled is the bill Grebowski is facing to get her animals from the pound. The normal boarding fee would be $14 per day per animal, a tab reaching nearly $3,000 in her case. City officials have agreed to discount the charge, but no specific amount has been set. [url]http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/news/10335363.htm[/url][/quote] ~Seij

[quote name='JackieMaya'] Of course the best scenario would be the put the "food aggressive" dogs in foster homes to attempt to work through any aggression issues. [/quote] I usually count it a blessing to find foster homes willing to take ANY dog, food aggression or no. ~Seij

Not to start trouble here or anything, but I wouldn't be too trusting of everything that Wolf at the Door says.. On their site they also have the Tundra Shepherd, Northern Inuit Dog, and Shiloh Shepherd on their list of disguised wolf hybrids, none of which really are. The Shilo and Tundra were never hybrids. The Inuits on occasion would breed their dogs to wolves, but that was so long ago and any "wolf blood" would be gone today. The Utonagans I have [i]heard[/i] were hybrids but I honestly can't see anything more than husky and shepherd in them. WATD is very anti wolf hybrid when it comes to the breeding part, but they have been directing their efforts in the totally wrong direction, and "attacking" any breed that they think [i]might[/i] have had wolf added somewhere along the lines. For instance, in their description of the American husky: "Again, traces back to very old lines of wolf-dog hybrids." [b]Very old[/b]! Hear that WATD?? I have never heard of an American husky before but unless the wolf additions were [b]recent[/b] it can't count as a wolf hybrid in disguise. Grrr... I think in some respects they can have good info, but their stories tend to be very one sided. For instance, the "Responsible Rescue" article... True, some mistakes were made, but not all 6 were the rescuer's fault and at least one could not have been prevented unless the rescuer had some way of looking into the future. WATD failed to mention the 50 or so wolf hybrids which that rescue list SAVED from death. The rescue list is made up of several different rescuers and although the loss of 6 of the animals was tragic, the number would have been MUCH greater had the rescue list not existed. For each loss, discussions were formed on how to prevent those losses in the future, its not as though they just turned a blind eye to those events. Unfortunately WATD doesn

Alaskan Amerindian Huskies... NEVER heard of them, but I think the name is hilarious :lol: Maybe next it will be the "Alaskan Amerindiashepalute Huskies." ~Seij

Cassie, sorry, I had to laugh a little bit when I saw your quote from that book. The author has the same warped and crooked view of the term "alpha" as do so many others in the world. Being alpha does NOT involve "violence," forced submission, physical dominance, or any of those other things. Being alpha simply means the dogs looks up to you for its resources. If your dog looks up to you, then it sees you as alpha-simple as that. Being alpha doesn't mean you have to beat a dog into submission!! Also, wolves and dogs DO speak the same [b]basic[/b] language, there is no denying that. Both communicate they same way, using various tail, eye, and ear signals. Although it is true that a domestic dog isn't likely to fully understand the intense behavior of the wolf, if dogs didn't live according to [i]some[/i] canine language system and based on [i]some[/i] form of hierarchy, they could not function as a group. A young puppy of course isn