Do wolfdogs make good pets?
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IGNACIO, Colo. — Paula Woerner stepped inside the fence at Wolfwood Rescue and was greeted by Xena, a 7-year-old wolfdog. Xena followed Woerner to a rock and licked her face.
“Even though Xena is a beautiful animal and does great here and loves people, if she were in your living room, she would eat your couch. She would kill your cat. She would jump on your table and eat all your food,” Woerner said. “She doesn’t belong in a normal suburban home.”
A wolfdog is the hybrid offspring of a domestic dog and any subspecies of wolf. Wolfdogs can inherit traits from both species, including physical characteristics and behavioral tendencies, making them different from pure wolves or domestic dogs.
Woerner founded Wolfwood Refuge in 1995 to rescue and rehabilitate wolves and wolfdogs. The 40-acre, nonprofit sanctuary is licensed by the state and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Its exact location is kept private for the animals’ safety.
Wolfwood is now home to 61 animals, including wolves, wolfdogs, misidentified dogs, and a few coyotes. All animals live in enclosed areas that are large enough for the animals to explore and run around. Woerner runs the refuge with the help of a handful of full-time employees and volunteers.
“Wolfdogs do not make good pets,” Woerner said. “Wolfdogs are not dogs. If you have a good dog, you can put that good dog in almost any situation and it’s going to be good. But with wolfdogs, they behave differently in different situations, and it’s not on you. You can’t train them like dogs.”
Woerner said wolfdogs are escape artists and expert diggers that can be destructive to homes and gardens.
In January, Wolfwood rescued 15 wolfdogs from a fur and urine farm in Ohio. Woerner said most of the animals at Wolfwood come from rescue operations. Other times, she said, wolfdog owners will call her if they can no longer care for their animals.
Nanuk and her brother, Knight, are two of the four pups saved from the Ohio farm. Though from the same litter, Nanuk shows more dog-like traits, while Knight exhibits more wolf behavior.
“We breed dogs to have certain characteristics. If you get a shepherd it’s going to have shepherd characteristics,” Woerner said. “Every wolf dog is different. You can’t say I had a great wolf dog and I’m going to go get another one, and that one will be great. That’s not how it works.”
In Colorado, wolfdogs are legally considered domestic canines. There are no statewide breeding regulations, though local laws may vary. For example, the city of Broomfield bans possession of wild hybrid animals, including wolfdogs.
Woerner said that the state’s work to reintroduce gray wolves to Colorado has not affected her operation.
Wolfwood offers free tours and educational outreach to local libraries and schools. She often brings along Xena and other wolfdogs to teach the public.
Woerner said it’s important for people to understand that wolves and wolfdogs are neither bloodthirsty killers nor “sweet little Disney animals.”
“We’re really, really against breeding wolfdogs,” she said. “It’s always better not to breed. I mean, there’s so many animals that need homes, right?”
Type of story: News
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
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