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No, That Isn’t a Wolfdog
Your neighbor’s husky & lab mix isn’t, either
Growing up, we all wanted to have a pet wolf — let’s admit it. Despite the impracticality of such a thing, the concept is amazing. Bigger, stronger, and smarter than any average dog, it seems that they’d make an ideal, loyal companion, bound to your side. And growing up with books like White Fang and Call of the Wild, it seemed possible to at least meet a halfway point. But after entering the world of boarding kennels and rescues, I had a startling realization — none of the dogs I met branded “wolfdogs” or “wolf hybrids” had much, if any, wolf in their recent ancestry. In fact, I’m fairly sure the majority of them were just Husky/Malamute mixes with an upcharge from backyard breeders. When I actually met a high content wolfdog for the first time, I knew it without a moment of hesitation. The facial structure, chest shape, and oh God, the size — it was unmistakable. Her paperwork confirmed that one parent had been a German Shepherd, and the other had been partially wolf, partially Siberian Husky. She was very clearly unlike any dog I had seen before — and I had no experience with wolves or wolf hybrids. So how is it that people are continuing to mistake any dog with wolflike coloring for a wolf/dog mix?
Part of the problem? Wolfdogs sell for significantly higher prices than most dogs, even purebreds, and breeders know this. It’s often you’ll find litters of “wolf hybrid” puppies from practically unverifiable sources such as Craigslist. And it’s easy to fake. With no paperwork necessary to show a dog is a hybrid, dogs with Malamute, Husky, or even Shepherd bloodlines are acceptable fakes. If you can’t produce paperwork from the breeder showing that wolf hybrids are truly a part of the pup’s bloodline, you are most likely being duped into what is essentially a marketing scam piggybacking off of the popularity of “cool” exotic pets + the desire to own a pet that’s unlike anyone else’s. Most people seeking out hybrids are unaware that they often require specialized paperwork or are illegal entirely in their state. It’s easy for scammers to pawn off mutt puppies as wolf mixes — because often, those in the market for…
