When a Tuscon, Arizona, man saw a sign on the house that said “Free dog,” he decided to knock on the door. The moment he saw the puppy’s big amber eyes and perky little ears, he knew he had to adopt the little guy.
The puppy — whom he named Neo — turned out to be a bigger handful than he had bargained for. Neo was often very skittish, difficult to house train, and demanded the man’s attention all the time, which was difficult because he was a student who also worked full time.
When the man was out of the house, he would leave Neo in the backyard, but the puppy refused to stay put. The pup would dig his way out or jump the fence to get into the neighbor’s yard and play with their dogs. His owner built a higher fence, but Neo soon chewed through it.
Neo wasn’t interested in interacting with people besides his owner, but his wolf-like desire to find his pack meant he was always visiting the neighbor’s dogs. At first the neighbors tolerated Neo’s visits, but he began to become a nuisance, and one day they decided they’d had enough…
The neighbors threw Neo on a leash and drove him to the Humane Society. They hoped that the shelter would be able to hold him until they worked out something with the owner to get the canine’s behavior under control.
A worker who was standing outside the building when they arrived saw Neo and instantly knew that he was no dog. His long, lanky body was one clue, but what struck her most was the way he nervously avoided human interaction.
She asked the perplexed-looking owners if they knew that wasn’t a dog on their leash, and they admitted that they’d had their suspicions. The Humane Society looked into Arizona’s wolf dog ownership laws and found that in order to legally own one, you needed to have a special permit that was difficult to obtain.
They decided to get in touch with Wolf Connection, a California wolf dog rescue and sanctuary, to see if they could take Neo. Luckily there was space, so all the Humane Society had to do was get in touch with Neo’s original owner…
Source
The puppy — whom he named Neo — turned out to be a bigger handful than he had bargained for. Neo was often very skittish, difficult to house train, and demanded the man’s attention all the time, which was difficult because he was a student who also worked full time.
When the man was out of the house, he would leave Neo in the backyard, but the puppy refused to stay put. The pup would dig his way out or jump the fence to get into the neighbor’s yard and play with their dogs. His owner built a higher fence, but Neo soon chewed through it.
Neo wasn’t interested in interacting with people besides his owner, but his wolf-like desire to find his pack meant he was always visiting the neighbor’s dogs. At first the neighbors tolerated Neo’s visits, but he began to become a nuisance, and one day they decided they’d had enough…
The neighbors threw Neo on a leash and drove him to the Humane Society. They hoped that the shelter would be able to hold him until they worked out something with the owner to get the canine’s behavior under control.
A worker who was standing outside the building when they arrived saw Neo and instantly knew that he was no dog. His long, lanky body was one clue, but what struck her most was the way he nervously avoided human interaction.
She asked the perplexed-looking owners if they knew that wasn’t a dog on their leash, and they admitted that they’d had their suspicions. The Humane Society looked into Arizona’s wolf dog ownership laws and found that in order to legally own one, you needed to have a special permit that was difficult to obtain.
They decided to get in touch with Wolf Connection, a California wolf dog rescue and sanctuary, to see if they could take Neo. Luckily there was space, so all the Humane Society had to do was get in touch with Neo’s original owner…
Source
Full time student and worked part time.......why did he get a puppy? No sense at all, just I want. When will people grow up? I don't care if it did turn out to be a wolf. He should not have had any pet at that time in his life.
Anonymous who are you to judge who can have a dog and who can not.
You really need to know how to handle raising a wolf because they are NOT a dog and do NOT respond as one. They have a high intelligence level and need to be attended to properly. They will run and will test you. They are NOT an animal if you are looking for a pet. Please if you want a hybrid get a low content one, not high content. Just remember they are NOT a dog but a wild animal.
Unknown if wolves are not animals. Who they are? Also wild animals in captivity can be tamed . And for your surprise I need to tell you that dogs descends from wolves.
I had a friend who had a wolf. She was a sweet animal, not skittish at all and lived in an urban environment with strangers coming up to pet her all the time. Look into her eyes and you could tell she was real. I did always take extra care to be very respectful around her and to not cause her any reason for alarm.
Good question anonymous. Dogs need a lot of time for training, socialization and play. So many dogs end up in shelters/rescues because they are untrained, too much for the owner(s) to handle, etc. because they did not have the time to devote to the pup. Wild animals should be allowed to live free, not adapting to human life.
I have heard many times that wolves are wild animals and difficult to train.... and why domesticate one if it wants to be wild? There are so many good dogs in need of homes
all modern domestic dogs come from gray wolves. the relationship between paleo humans and "canis lupus" began some 40.000 yrs. ago. the earliest known photos (degeratypes) of american indigenous peoples show wolves living among them as pets and helpful companions. some american triubes had especially close relationships with wolves as they were an integral part of their lives. some stories even have camp wolves watching over children and babies when parents were busy. early human learned very much about nature, food sources, and such an array of survival skills that it is not far fetched to say that without wolves and all that they taught us. we may not even have survived as a species! this is why the wolf was a strong "spirit animal" with many paleo-tribes and even today! the wolf is now one of the most mistreated, and maligned animals on earth. all for no good reason other than human ignorance and religious delusions! such a shame and a waste. long live wolves!
Wow! Glad they found a rescue him
I had a wolf dog who was trained so well that he would not eat a sausage that was literally dropped at his nose. He did love to eat couches though, went through two of them before we caught wise to his ways. He had never been in a house, or alone for more than an hour before. He was golden like his tiny mom but those eyes would look through your soul and rate you. God help those who did not pass muster. He never barked. A pit bull attacked him once and he never retaliated either. Thing was half his size when it happened. He would protect me with his life, I was his alpha. I HAD to learn to be that. Good lessons, wolves give in pack status and devotion.
It should have been handled differently. The neighbors stole the young man's animal and took it away. The man adopted the animal innocently. Bottom line those neighbors stole the animal and that is wrong of them.
My daughter rescued what she believed was a White German Shepherd from a reputable rescue... After living with him for a while, she realized there was something different about him. After a while, she moved back home with him... and I already had a Black and Red GSD that I had imported from Germany... I also had 3 Yorkshire Terriers... 2 were about 6 lbs each, and the other was 2 1/2 - 3 lbs. Soon, this White German Shepherd was tipping the scales at over 100 lbs! Come to find out, he was a Wolf Hybrid. I really kind of loved that idea... I have always loved wolves! Anyway, he was one of the BEST pets we ever had! We did work on training, and he was very obedient! He was very protective of my daughter, and our home. He was gentle with the little Yorkies, got along great with my GSD, and was great with just about everyone. On more than one occasion, the smallest Yorkie would want him to move, and she would stand in front of him and bark, and back him into a corner... AND HE WOULD GO! It was hysterical, watching this less than 3 lb pip squeek backing up a 100+ lb Wolf Dog into a corner! He didn't have a mean bone in his body, and we trusted him fully! Always! Sadley, he developed bone cancer, and after trying everything, we had to let him go! I would absolutely LOVE to have a full wolf puppy, say about 8 weeks old, to bring up and bond with! They are smart, loving, lovable, loyal, provide a good sense of security, and so much more! And I LOVE listening to their howl! It gives me goosebumps! And, I have heard of many others who have had similar experiences with wolf dogs!