A photoessay at English Russia makes note of the longstanding project at Perm to interbreed wolves and domestic dogs.
Attempts to cross dogs and wolves have been made since the time of the Ancient Rome. And only the project of the Perm wolf-dogs can be called successful... It started 13 years ago when Vyacheslav at his own risk and for his own money bought a two-years-old wolf Naida from the man who had been going to stuff her... The professor had been looking for a partner for Naida for 4 years. Eventually it became a male German shepherd... The hybrids were stronger, of greater endurance, they rarely fell ill and had an incredible scent. For example they can find a trace three days old while for ordinary dogs 6-8 hours is a limit. They live 25-30 years, the wolf-dogs are easily trainable [the Wikipedia entry on wolves as working animals disputes the latter assertion]...Many of them already serve in the police, army: in Chechnya, Gelendzhik, Samara, Ural cities…
Interesting project, I hope it works out well. I'm glad the article emphasizes that these are not dogs and require careful handling. Wolf hybrids are wild animals, not domestic, and have to be treated accordingly. The structure and hard work of the military might be a good environment for them, I don't know.
ReplyDeleteI actually know of one case when a husky female mated with a lone wolf and gave birth to wolf-dog pups. They were probably used as sled-dogs by the man who owned the husky.
ReplyDeleteSounds like an amazing project, but it also sounds like these wolf-dogs require a higher degree of discipline/control than most owners would be prepared to stomach.
ReplyDeleteWhew - look at those eyes! They just say "I want to eat you".
ReplyDeleteSo called "intra-specific hybrids" since they are both subspecies of canis lupus.
ReplyDeletePeople do this just because they want to a lot here in the western U.S. They also breed bobcats & housecats (or at least keep them around when it happens naturally). I remember my mom telling me not to pet any large cats with short tails I might see at people's houses or businesses in rural areas near where I grew up. (She was afraid I would think them housecats and get bitten.)
ReplyDeleteWhy do people want to think of wolves as mean killers? Humans kill and maim for no real reason. I knew two interbreed dogs in Laguna Beach, one an Airedale/Wolf and the other a Coyote/Poodle. Both were fine and good pets. We once came upon a baby seal that had become separated from its school and was hiding in the rocks. The dogs wanted to play with it, but the seal snarled and slashed out so they left it alone.
ReplyDeleteI also knew a Husky/Wolf canine that lived in the dorm of a college in Washington. It had no trouble socializing and did not require a great degree of 'control'. Compared to the usual Terrier or Poodle, it was a lamb.
Thanks
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