Dog or Wolf? Canine in custody untill they find out.

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Dog or Wolf? Canine in custody untill they find out.

Post by Maned_Wolf » Mon Aug 10, 2009 5:15 am

*I am not sure where to post this,sorry if it's in the wrong spot*

http://archive.desmoinesregister.com/ar ... swer-found
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.
There's a picture of the canine in the article. What do you guy's think?
Last edited by paperpaws on Fri Sep 18, 2015 4:33 am, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: updating link..
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Re: Dog or Wolf? Canine in custody untill they find out.

Post by Sintact » Mon Aug 10, 2009 5:27 am

I think this is a good article, for me the "dog" looks really like a wolf-dog hybrid, but I'm not quite sure since I don't know much about physical similities and differences between wolf and wolf-dogs, just some that are really notorious, but just seeing a picture is difficult for me.
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 --

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Re: Dog or Wolf? Canine in custody untill they find out.

Post by Blightwolf » Mon Aug 10, 2009 5:46 am

If this canine the article is about is a wolf-dog, there really isn't any specific way to find out if it has any recent wolf blood/ancestry. There aren't any bullet-proof scientific tests developed enough to separate the canine genes to find out if it's a dog with wolf blood.

Judging from the picture, it's quite hard to tell. Yes, the canine resembles a wolf ... wolves have very robust features, like a large and wide skull and forehead and not quite roundly shaped eyes.

And really, how much a wolf-dog looks like a wolf depends on the amount of wolf blood in it; if the wolf content is very low, they are much more dog-like and less lupine.

I have a hunch this canine is a wolf-dog with high wolf content.
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Re: Dog or Wolf? Canine in custody untill they find out.

Post by TenMillionFireflies » Mon Aug 10, 2009 9:05 am

oh my :shock: :shock:
I doubt its a wolf.
they apparently look at appearances not personality's :roll:

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Re: Dog or Wolf? Canine in custody untill they find out.

Post by Yogi » Tue Aug 11, 2009 5:01 am

I agree, KiaWolf.
You cannot make another post so soon after your last.You cannot make another post so soon after your last.You cannot make another post so soon after your last.

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Re: Dog or Wolf? Canine in custody untill they find out.

Post by Dewfrost » Tue Aug 11, 2009 9:46 am

To me, it looks like it might be a Wolfdog with a high amount of wolf blood in it. Although it also looks alot like a Siberian Husky. Then again, if it was a Siberian Husky it probably wouldn't be that hard to tell whether it was a dog or a wolf, would it?
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Re: Dog or Wolf? Canine in custody untill they find out.

Post by Blaidd Drwg » Tue Aug 11, 2009 10:14 am

what will they do if it is part wolf?
I say they should let her keep it, the wolf dog hasn't hurt anyone. I have know idea why they are making such a big deal about this any dog could bite someone just because its part wolf doesn't mean the chance is any higher.
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Re: Dog or Wolf? Canine in custody untill they find out.

Post by Memories » Sat Sep 26, 2009 9:53 am

poor thing.. i feel bad for it DX

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Re: Dog or Wolf? Canine in custody untill they find out.

Post by paperpaws » Sun Sep 27, 2009 12:18 am

Could someone post a new link to the picture? The article link doesn't work.

Further, if it is really tame I wonder what the problem is.

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Re: Dog or Wolf? Canine in custody untill they find out.

Post by -Larka- » Sun Sep 27, 2009 4:18 am

Yeah, it probably wouldnt matter if she had wolf blood in her if she was tame. If she hasnt hurt anyone, then there is nothing wrong with her even though she is part wolf. They should just leave her be.

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Re: Dog or Wolf? Canine in custody untill they find out.

Post by Songdog » Sun Sep 27, 2009 8:38 am

But if there's a law in place, you can't just say "We're going to exempt you from the law, even when other people have had to surrender their animals".

It's sort of the same thing as catching a driver driving drunk, but telling them "Well you haven't caused any accidents, so we're going to let you go".

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Re: Dog or Wolf? Canine in custody untill they find out.

Post by -Larka- » Sun Sep 27, 2009 9:10 am

Oh yeah, I hadnt thought of it that way...

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Re: Dog or Wolf? Canine in custody untill they find out.

Post by Maned_Wolf » Sun Oct 04, 2009 12:28 pm

Update on the story Scrappy is allowed to go home! :D

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/p ... 9909260332
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Re: Dog or Wolf? Canine in custody untill they find out.

Post by Blightwolf » Mon Oct 05, 2009 3:09 am

That's good. I wondered how on Earth they were going to "find out", since (like I had posted above) there isn't any DNA tests or such you could commit to discover the wolf blood in a dog, there simply aren't any ways of doing that yet.
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Re: Dog or Wolf? Canine in custody untill they find out.

Post by Evirith » Tue Jan 05, 2010 9:10 pm

It's not working for me, Either.

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