WolfQuest

Her owner says the animal isn't a wolf, but the police aren't so sure. A Des Moines ordinance says wolves can't be pets.

Scrappy was released on a probation of sorts Thursday pending a determination of whether the animal is a dog, wolf or wolf dog.

The animal has been in custody since April 29, when she was picked up after running loose.

When owner Crystal Smith tried to retrieve Scrappy from the Animal Rescue League of Iowa Inc., someone decided the animal looked like a wolf and detained it.

Des Moines, like dozens of other cities, has an ordinance that says residents can't keep a wolf.
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Smith said Scrappy isn't a wolf.

"I am not positive of her breed mix, but she has a Siberian husky look," said Smith, who has owned the animal for about eight years. "She does not have wild animal tendencies. She's very tame and friendly."

Police Sgt. Scott Raudabaugh, Des Moines' chief humane officer, said: "All the indicators, to me, are that it's a wolf. My dilemma is I can't just walk away from that. I don't feel comfortable with someone keeping it in the city like it's a dog."

Because the city ordinance mentions "wolves," and not wolf dogs or wolf-dog mixes, a court will decide the animal's fate.

The issue was discussed before Judge Robert Hanson on Thursday. But the only decision made was that Scrappy could be released to Rovers Ranch in Runnells, in the care of Darcy Emehiser, a professional dog trainer.

Emehiser promised under oath that she has ample insurance and a fenced area from which Scrappy can't escape.

Smith's attorney, Pam Vandel, said the issue boils down to whether Scrappy is a wolf or a dog. She said most dogs have wolf in their ancestry. Vandel said there's no way to know until Scrappy is dead whether she's a wolf.

L. David Mech, an adjunct professor at the University of Minnesota who has a special interest in wolves, said DNA can be used to tell whether an animal is a wolf or a dog but it won't yield a percentage of either in a mix.

He said it's not possible to tell a wolf from some hybrids by examination.

He said the World Conservation Union Wolf Specialist Group, of which he is chairman, recommends against keeping wolves or wolf dogs as pets.

No one has papers showing Scrappy's family tree.

A date for the next hearing was not announced.

Wolves and wolf-dogs are not marauding killers, they do not carry children off into the forest and murder them, and they do not disguise themselves as Grandma and hide under the bed covers. But with the average pet owner they can be socially shy, aggressive, and "unpredictable" -- this last is generally due to ignorance on the part of the owner on the differences between wolf behavior and dog behavior. Many people exaggerate the wolf-content of their wolf-dogs in a sort of macho arrogance. Unethical breeders often flat-out lie about wolf-content to boost the price of their "cubs."

However, there are many people who have had exactly the opposite experience. Their animals were pets from the beginning, carefully bred for temperament, well socialized, obedience trained, and housed in special facilities --