Today's post is a bit different from the usual. Don't worry, it still relates to dogs. And dog behavior. Sort of.
I never felt confident enough to speak on this matter before, but having now owned a dog who is frequently mislabeled as a "wolfdog," I feel that I can put out a message to others.
What is this matter, you ask?
Misrepresentation.
I don't mean accidentally mistaking one thing for something else. I mean the deliberate, systematic mislabeling of a dog as a wolf. It happens a lot. It happens to me a lot. And misrepresentation is a thing that kills many, many Nordic breed --and GSD-- mixes each year. It probably kills many that simply have upright ears, just because someone thought having a wolfdog made them "cool."
In no particular order, these are some of the biggest contributors to wolfdog misrepresentation:
1. The media using wolfy-looking, full-bred dogs to act the part of wolves.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with this, aside from the fact that it is never stated that the dogs in question are, in fact, dogs, and that wolves do not make good pets whatsoever. Dogs acting as wolves is great -- they're easier to train, more social, and less likely to be a bite risk and, therefore, less liability.
But the media never mentions that their wolves are not wolves. Misrepresentation is simply allowed to happen and run free, with nothing done to keep it in check.
Take the "dire wolves" in Game of Thrones, for example.
This is Zunni... or, as she's better known, Lady. Zunni plays a dire wolf character (Lady) on the show Game of Thrones. However, Zunni is no wolf. In fact, she's not even a wolf mix. She is, in fact, simply a Northern Inuit Dog which bears some resemblance to the coloring and coat of a wolf.
The other five "dire wolves" are also Northern Inuit dogs.
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| Nymeria |
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| Ghost (Ghost's namesake! See the resemblance? ;) |
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| Grey Wind |
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| Shaggydog |
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| Summer |
If you look, and know what you're looking for, it's very easy to tell that none of these dogs are wolves. The ears are too large, the markings are off, the paws are too small, the fur is wrong, the muzzles are too thick, and the stop is too pronounced. They also do not have the signature "mane" of fur that true wolves and high-content wolfdogs have. There are no good, up close photos of feet, but I'm sure some, at least, have white nails.
However, unless you do a deliberate search for the wolves' actors, there is no disclaimer that these aren't actual wolves. As obvious as it may be to some people that wolves aren't actually acting as themselves, many people are led to believe that's the case inadvertently.
2. People don't know what a wolf looks like.
This one may seem hard to believe, but a lot of people don't actually seem to know what a wolf, or a wolf-dog, really looks like. Because of how often we see them in media, many people are desensitized to the "wolf" traits that are actually just dog traits. This is why real wolves seem so much more exotic -- we just aren't used to seeing them.
If you mentioned in passing that the Game of Thrones direwolf actors are wolf hybrids, it's likely that nobody would bat an eye and would instead nod complacently. But if you told them, instead, that the "direwolves" were 100% dog, you may get a few odd looks. Their ears are upright, they're wolfy colors, they have yellow or brown eyes... what do you mean those aren't wolfdogs?
3. Backyard Breeders looking to make money will deliberately advertise all-dog mixes as "wolfdogs", hoping to make a profit.
There's some strange allure to the concept of owning or keeping a wild animal as a pet. I think it's an ego thing -- "Only I can contain this beast because it has chosen me as its trusted confidant and friend." Humans are big on ego-boosters and status-symbols, and what better for that than the wild relative of our own domesticated buddies? Sadly, many backyard breeders jump on the opportunity to make a profit or seem "cool" for selling these "wild" animals, when in reality, they're just Nordic-mix dogs. Every ad I've every seen for a wolfdog was actually just a mix of Husky, German Shepherd, Malamute, and sometimes Akita.
One Example: "Wolf Dog" Pups being sold for $700
I believe this is the "85% Artic (yes, Artic, not Arctic)-Timber 15% German Shepherd" the ad talks about. Pups between him and the "50% Timber Wolf 50% Belgium (not Belgian) Shepherd" are being sold at $700 with a $200 pup deposit. For mutts? Ouch. I could find that at a shelter for $150.
4. Owners don't want to lose face by admitting that their "wolf hybrid" is actually a dog.
I've never met a "wolf dog" owner who didn't prickle and puff up when told that their dog was, in fact, a dog. I also haven't met many who don't believe their "wolf hybrid" is somehow superior to any domestic dog. It gives some sort of serious ego-boost. Anyone who's owned or worked with true wolfdogs, even low-contents, can tell you that they're no walk in the park, most of them suck, they don't listen, and you'll constantly be repairing torn-up things.
So why does misrepresentation hurt other animals?
In a nutshell? People get complacent about animals that are very much wild. Your average Joe is not the slightest bit equipped to care for a cunning, swift-thinking, independent, stubborn canine Houdini who cowers and flees from strangers. The brain of Einstein and Houdini combined into one produces the equivalent of Cujo in an inexperienced owners' hands... and really, how many people do you know could handle a wolf mix? These are intelligent, prey-driven, instinctual, I-don't-give-a-shit-what-you-want Houdini escape artists.
But when someone claims that their bonefide Shepherd-Husky mix is "50% wolfdog", and it's a friendly, well-socialized, eager-to-please dog, you run into problems. People think that all real wolfdogs behave just like the "wolfdog" they met on the street, and suddenly you've got a boom in backyard-bred dogs that look like they could sort of resemble wolves, if you squint.
On the off chance that someone find a legit wolfdog breeder and buys a pup, they quickly realize they're in way over their head, and the dog is dumped in a sanctuary, at best, and at worst, euthanized. All because somebody didn't know what a real wolf looks like and thought they could handle something they couldn't.
It would be like me, an eighteen-year-old high school student juggling work and two dogs, went out and bought a working-line Belgian Malinios. I'd have a ticking time bomb on my hands. And that is what most of the real wolf dogs turn into.
The ones who don't buy actual wolfdogs, and get what the only think is a wolfdog, contribute to the misrepresentation of wolfdogs as easygoing, sociable family pets, when nothing could be further from the truth.
It backfires the opposite direction, too. Because of the misconception of what a wolfdog looks like (when it's really just a Nordic breed) Nordic breeds mistaken as wolves are killed.
That's right. Innocent dogs are killed, because people mistakenly call their own all-dog mixes "wolfdogs." Police and hunters alike can't tell the difference, because the "wolfdog" discrepancy is everywhere.
So whenever someone asks me if Ghost is a wolfdog, my immediate response is "no." I don't own a wolfdog. I don't pretend to. I wouldn't be able to handle one, I don't have the space or money, and I don't want to contribute to the misrepresentation of wolfdogs.
And part of the reason is this: what if it were my dog who had been shot? What if someone mistook Ghost, in his all-white, short-furred, bat-ears, small-pawed glory, as a wolf, and shot him?
What good would all my boasting do then?
Ghost asks you to please take a few minutes to really look and scrutinize what you think a "wolfdog" is. Because chances are, you're just looking at a good ol' domestic-dog mutt.
2. People don't know what a wolf looks like.
This one may seem hard to believe, but a lot of people don't actually seem to know what a wolf, or a wolf-dog, really looks like. Because of how often we see them in media, many people are desensitized to the "wolf" traits that are actually just dog traits. This is why real wolves seem so much more exotic -- we just aren't used to seeing them.
If you mentioned in passing that the Game of Thrones direwolf actors are wolf hybrids, it's likely that nobody would bat an eye and would instead nod complacently. But if you told them, instead, that the "direwolves" were 100% dog, you may get a few odd looks. Their ears are upright, they're wolfy colors, they have yellow or brown eyes... what do you mean those aren't wolfdogs?
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| Wolf on left, Siberian Husky on right. Note the small, rounded, well-furred ears, wedge-shaped face, and lack of "mask" on the wolf. Also note that the colors are blended, in contrast to the Husky's sharply defined markings. Husky has blue eyes, which is biologically impossible for wolves and high-content wolfdogs. |
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| Ignoring me and my mother, meet Rosie. Rosie was a dog my mom had when I was about two, and for as long as I can remember, she swore up and down that Rosie was a "Akita/Wolf" mix. Hmm... sure looks an awful lot like this German Shepherd/Lab mix... |
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| Photo not mine. Random Google result for "Lab/German Shepherd mix." |
There's some strange allure to the concept of owning or keeping a wild animal as a pet. I think it's an ego thing -- "Only I can contain this beast because it has chosen me as its trusted confidant and friend." Humans are big on ego-boosters and status-symbols, and what better for that than the wild relative of our own domesticated buddies? Sadly, many backyard breeders jump on the opportunity to make a profit or seem "cool" for selling these "wild" animals, when in reality, they're just Nordic-mix dogs. Every ad I've every seen for a wolfdog was actually just a mix of Husky, German Shepherd, Malamute, and sometimes Akita.
One Example: "Wolf Dog" Pups being sold for $700
I believe this is the "85% Artic (yes, Artic, not Arctic)-Timber 15% German Shepherd" the ad talks about. Pups between him and the "50% Timber Wolf 50% Belgium (not Belgian) Shepherd" are being sold at $700 with a $200 pup deposit. For mutts? Ouch. I could find that at a shelter for $150.
4. Owners don't want to lose face by admitting that their "wolf hybrid" is actually a dog.
I've never met a "wolf dog" owner who didn't prickle and puff up when told that their dog was, in fact, a dog. I also haven't met many who don't believe their "wolf hybrid" is somehow superior to any domestic dog. It gives some sort of serious ego-boost. Anyone who's owned or worked with true wolfdogs, even low-contents, can tell you that they're no walk in the park, most of them suck, they don't listen, and you'll constantly be repairing torn-up things.
So why does misrepresentation hurt other animals?
In a nutshell? People get complacent about animals that are very much wild. Your average Joe is not the slightest bit equipped to care for a cunning, swift-thinking, independent, stubborn canine Houdini who cowers and flees from strangers. The brain of Einstein and Houdini combined into one produces the equivalent of Cujo in an inexperienced owners' hands... and really, how many people do you know could handle a wolf mix? These are intelligent, prey-driven, instinctual, I-don't-give-a-shit-what-you-want Houdini escape artists.
But when someone claims that their bonefide Shepherd-Husky mix is "50% wolfdog", and it's a friendly, well-socialized, eager-to-please dog, you run into problems. People think that all real wolfdogs behave just like the "wolfdog" they met on the street, and suddenly you've got a boom in backyard-bred dogs that look like they could sort of resemble wolves, if you squint.
On the off chance that someone find a legit wolfdog breeder and buys a pup, they quickly realize they're in way over their head, and the dog is dumped in a sanctuary, at best, and at worst, euthanized. All because somebody didn't know what a real wolf looks like and thought they could handle something they couldn't.
It would be like me, an eighteen-year-old high school student juggling work and two dogs, went out and bought a working-line Belgian Malinios. I'd have a ticking time bomb on my hands. And that is what most of the real wolf dogs turn into.
The ones who don't buy actual wolfdogs, and get what the only think is a wolfdog, contribute to the misrepresentation of wolfdogs as easygoing, sociable family pets, when nothing could be further from the truth.
It backfires the opposite direction, too. Because of the misconception of what a wolfdog looks like (when it's really just a Nordic breed) Nordic breeds mistaken as wolves are killed.
That's right. Innocent dogs are killed, because people mistakenly call their own all-dog mixes "wolfdogs." Police and hunters alike can't tell the difference, because the "wolfdog" discrepancy is everywhere.
So whenever someone asks me if Ghost is a wolfdog, my immediate response is "no." I don't own a wolfdog. I don't pretend to. I wouldn't be able to handle one, I don't have the space or money, and I don't want to contribute to the misrepresentation of wolfdogs.
And part of the reason is this: what if it were my dog who had been shot? What if someone mistook Ghost, in his all-white, short-furred, bat-ears, small-pawed glory, as a wolf, and shot him?
What good would all my boasting do then?
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| The all-dog, supermutt, German Shepherd/Lab/Pit/Border Collie mix, Ghost. Affectionately nicknamed Batdog for those crazy ears. |
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