32 ~ North Shore News — Sunday, January 16, 2000 Cross-breeding dogs and wolves is scary “Joan canine connection LIKE most people I am fascinated by the mystique of the wolf. Their image conjures up thoughts of unbridled wild- ness and everlasting free- dom. Wolves are much like humans in as much as they are social animals and value family relations. They are also not the callous killers that Hollywood would like us to believe. Our dogs have evolved from wolves over many thousands of years through crossbreeding of different subspecies of wolves. This evolution created the differ- ent breeds of dogs today. Wolves are classified as Canis lupis x (the x being a subspecies such as timber wol and dogs are Canis Iupis ‘familiaris (familiaris- eferring to some extent, domestication). In fact, out- side of their physical appear- ance, dogs are wolves. Except for one valuable dif- ference: dogs have been domesticated, for more than 12,000 years, and wolves have not. In short, domesti- cation means an animal which is born without an aversion to humans. The physiological changes ought on by domestica- tion is what has made the dog a pet. Because of the wolf’s allure, humans, as humans always seem to do, have chosen to possess these wild animals. They have also begun to breed wolves with domestic dogs to create what is called a wolf hybrid. Most of these hybrids look like large huskies, which begs the question ... why not just get a husky in the first place? The idea is to have an animal which has the wild look of a wolf but which acts like a dog. Scientifically, this is not possible. Lf evolution took tens of thousands of years to domesticate a dog, how can humans be so vain to think they can do it in ten or even a hundred years? Personally, I do not rec- ommend or encourage breeding or owning wolf hybrids. Wolf hybrids are tremendously complex ani- mals and mature differently than dogs. An adult dog (older than three years) will mature mentally and emo- tionally to the same level as a one-year-old wolf. An adult wolf matures to levels that far exceed those of a dog. They develop drives necessary for survival, such as hunting and killing an injured moose or challeng- ing a grizzly bear which has stumbled into their den. Wolves, by nature, shy away from humans. Dogs do not. Our dogs’ survival drives have basically developed into showing us where the cookies are kept. When a dog kills another animal such as a squirrel, it is usually done by accident. A dog will often paw at the dead animal wondering why Se IASTEETONY, 7 it doesn’t get up and finish the game of chase. When cross-breeding wolves and dogs, careful hand-raising is essential. [f not, you could end up creat- ing an unpredictable animal — they can’t be sent to the doggie day care for social- ization. Wolf hybrids are not dogs, they are wolves. Because wolf hybrids are not truly domesticated canines, they will often display predatory, aggressive and challenging behaviours which are far more serious than a dog. They may attack other creatures who are not members of their pack and severely injure or even kill them. It is completely natur- al and expected of a wolf in the wild to kill another wolf from a different pack, who has wandered into their ter- ritory. Training these canines is possible but they will never achieve the same level of obedience as a dog. Training should be done using posi- tive reinforcement methods only, since negative rein- forcement may trigger a dangerous challenge of dominance. Since the breeding and owning of these canines will not stop, education and cau- tion are the tools which must be used to prevent accidents and increase awareness of these unique animals. This of course lies in the hands of the breeders and owners of wolf hybrids. —Joan is the owner of Sierra K9 training academy. E-mail her at sterrak9@telus.net. Comments in the form of letters to the editor are welcome. Human’s name: Nathan Rickman, 3 years old. Pei’s name and age: Harley, a 1-year-old shih-tzu. Favcurite activities: They both enjoy playing ball and going for nice long walks together. Favourite treat: Harley icves cheese. Pat tale: Harley was Nathan's birthday present when he turned 2. They have been best buddies ever since, says Nathan's grandma. If you would like to appear with your pet in Pet Pause, please write to Terry Peters c/o the North Shore News, 1139 Lonsdale Ave., North Vancouver, B.C., ¥7M 2H4, Or send: -e-mait to- . ; Let us send your old eyeglasses to the developing world. OPERATION EYESICHT UNIVERSAL 1-800-585-8265 B Charitable Registration # 11906 8955 RROD: