Some time ago, Bored Panda published an article about a woman who brought her rescue dog to the vet for a regular checkup. Upon entering the office and seeing the dog, the vet dropped whatever he was holding in his hands. It turned out that what the woman thought to be a really big dog was, in fact, a wolf dog. “But what is a wolfdog?” you may ask. The name itself sounds like it came from a fantasy tale. To be honest, they do look like some mystic creatures.
It is common knowledge that dogs and wolves come from the same family and are very closely related. And while big dogs and wolves generally look a lot like each other, there are some wolf-like dogs that are very difficult to distinguish from real wolves. Most dog breeds that look like wolves are hybrids, meaning they are part dog, part wolf. The closer the wolf part is on their family line (for example, one of the parents was a wolf, as opposed to a great aunt a couple of generations in the past), the more the pup will look like a wolf too. This type of crossbreeding is mostly done for scientific purposes, though sometimes it can very well occur naturally.
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If you are wondering which dogs look like wolves, check out Northern Inuit dogs. Remember the dire wolves from Game of Thrones? Yep, that’s the one. Others include the Swedish Vallhund, Belgian Tervuren, and more. Even more common Alaskan malamutes and Siberian huskies are considered wolf dogs.
Wolf dogs are regarded as pets even though they come with extra responsibility for their owners due to their sheer size and also because they have more acute prey instincts. But if you are thinking of acquiring a pet wolf, this might not be the best idea. Don’t forget that wolves are wild animals and, as such, need to live in nature. If you happen to have rescued a wolf (congrats!) and, for certain reasons, it can’t return to its natural habitat, consider handing the animal over to a sanctuary or other professionals who are equipped to handle wild animals.
Check out the photos of dogs that look like wolves that we collected for this article, and if you happen to know another gorgeous creature from this family, share their pics in the comments.
#1 Loki The Wolfdog – Breakin’ Hearts Since 2012
Image credits: Kelly Lund
To talk a bit more about wolfdogs, meaning dogs that were born from a domestic dog and a wolf, Bored Panda reached out to Yamnuska Wolfdog Sanctuary, which was created in June 2011 in Cochrane, Alberta, Canada. As the Sanctuary introduces itself on its website, its purpose is “to drive public awareness and education surrounding wolfdogs and wolves in the wild.”
We talked with Alyx, the operations manager at the Sanctuary and she agreed that wolfdogs are not for everyone. Actually, she really wanted to stress it as she saw so many people get mesmerized by the dogs’ appearance just to give them up after not being able to handle them which led to the dogs being euthanized.
#2 A Bad Dog Owner Dumped This Wolf-Dog At A Kill Shelter When He Got Too Big And Too Much To Handle. Luckily A Sanctuary Took Him Instead And Saved His Life!
His DNA testing came back as 87.5 % Gray Wolf, 8.6 % Siberian Husky, and 3.9 % German Shepherd.
Image credits: beaverkc
#3 My Wolfdog Boy, Faelen, Giving Cuddles To My Mom
Image credits: Runningwithwolfdogs
Alyx described some of the challenges that wolfdog owners usually face that they didn’t expect because they didn’t do their research, “A wolfdog’s challenges can be much more intense depending on how much wolf is present. That said, all wolfdogs tend to have a tendency to be more shy and timid and less human-oriented. They can be master escape artists, aloof, destructive indoors, and intense resource guarders just to list a few of their challenges.”
Even though these are some of the main issues that an owner may have to deal with, “There are many more to list though and each wolfdog has their own individual needs and set of challenges. With more wolf content in a wolfdog, these behaviours are generally much more intense and extreme.”
That is why Alyx doesn’t recommend a wolfdog for a pet, “Wolfdogs require very specific homes. They are not suited for most people. While there are certain people out there that have done their research and have a true understanding of wolfdogs and are therefore able to provide them with great homes, the majority of people that end up with a wolfdog are not able to adequately care for them.” Which, as mentioned, ends up with the animal being euthanized because there aren’t a lot of places where the wolfdog can go after an owner gets tired of it.
#4 This Is The Photo That Made Me Say “I’m Gonna Drive 800 Miles To Rescue That Special Needs Pupper”
Image credits: melissakate8
#5 Looking Into The Distance
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Image credits: refugio.delobos
#6 The Majestic Wolfdog
Image credits: wilde_run
In Alyx’s opinion, regular dog owners should stick to dogs that don’t have wolf content in their DNA at all, “Wolfdogs are extremely complicated animals. Even wolfdogs with a fairly small amount of wolf content can be very challenging to own, especially for someone that does not understand their behaviour.”
If you really really want a wolfodg and believe you can take care of it, the Sanctuary worker suggests Wolfdog Awareness as a resource to look for information, “There you can read through many blog posts that deep dive into the challenging behaviours an owner may (and will likely) face when it comes to wolfdog ownership.”
#7 Sasha (The Czech Wolfdog) Loves Beach Zoomies
Image credits: Redback911
#8 Here’s Some More Of Yuki The Wolf Dog Hybrid
His DNA testing came back as 87.5 % Gray Wolf, 8.6 % Siberian Husky, and 3.9 % German Shepherd. Currently at the shy wolf Sanctuary, he was taken to a high kill shelter at first when he was too much to handle, but was rescued and is now at the sanctuary and loving it.
Image credits: sirprize
#9 Enjoy The Ride!
Image credits: seiyathorkan.lb.clt
#10 In The Forest
Image credits: wolfdoggos
All of that being said, not all dogs that look like wolves have wolf content in their DNA. Of course, all dogs derived from wolves but as Alyx explained to us, “All domestic dog breeds like Huskies for example, are domestic dogs and do not have wolf content in them. Wolfdogs are the result of recent wolf heritage. Domestic dogs may have descended from wolves but this was thousands of years ago.”
As mentioned in the introduction, there are dog breeds that look like wolves but are just dogs and if you want a wolf-looking dog, you still have to do your research, “Though domestic dogs may just have a wolfy appearance and would likely be a better fit than a wolfdog, they can still be quite challenging. Northern breeds like a Husky or Malamute may be a good place to start, however, these can be very challenging breeds! You need to do thorough research on them before getting them.”
Getting to know a breed is extremely important because every dog breed has a different temperament, different care requirements, different tendencies for medical issues and training abilities, so you have to consider what would fit in your lifestyle. For those reasons Alyx strongly suggests not to choose a dog solely on their appearance.
#11 Black Wolf Hybrid
Image credits: cheesy_please_me
#12 Here’s One Of Our Rescues, Yuki
Image credits: britweins
#13 Sometimes Lucian Just Lies On Me And Looks At Me Like This. Fills My Heart Up Even On The (All Too Common) Bad Days
Image credits: SheridanSauvage
Do you find dogs that resemble wolves beautiful or do they scare you more than causes fascination? Have you ever owned one? What would you suggest to people who would like a wolfdog or just a dog that bears the resemblance without the actual wolf genes? Share your thoughts with us in the comments!
#14 My Wife’s Wolfhound Puppy Is Eating My Wolfdog
Image credits: ElysiumPotato
#15 Wolf Pup
Image credits: brl621
#16 My Puppy Looks Like A Small Wolf!
Image credits: bulgariandoll
#17 A Wolf-Dog Hybrid
Image credits: Gar1986
#18 Strike A Pose
Image credits: wolfdoggos
#19 Never Stop Outdoor Life!
Image credits: wolf_instinct
#20 Is There Anything Cuter Than A Wolfdog Wanting Belly Rubs?
Image credits: melissakate8
#21 Rub My Damn Belly!
Image credits: Srous226
#22 Nymeria Got To Meet A New Friend Yesterday!
Image credits: melissakate8
#23 His Winter Coat Is Coming And He Is Getting More And More Beautiful
Image credits: sirius_rydstorm
#24 Hello Pack! Some Memories Of 2021
Image credits: wolf_instinct
#25 This Big Girl Was Accepting Treats By Hand. 80% Concentration Wolfdog. From Yamnuska Wolfdog Sanctuary, Alberta, CA
Image credits: Anhart15
#26 I Think We Need A Bigger Bed
Image credits: Jeneea1
#27 New Pups On The Ride Home
Image credits: Brufar_308
#28 A Nice Sunrise Over The Sainte Victoire
We started the hike at 4am in the night alone in the world with our dogs, paradise!
Image credits: nocturnals_animals
#29 Our Super Scary Guard Dog… She’s Alaskan Malamute With A Big Smile
Image credits: FlagmakerUK
#30 Friend Met This Spectacular Wolf!
Image credits: srod999
#31 Through The Thick And Thicker
Image credits: loki
#32 Thorkan And His Beautiful Mom Phoebee! He Was Only A Few Weeks Old, My Baby, I Love This Picture!
Image credits: seiyathorkan.lb.clt
#33 Nox Enjoyed Our Halloween Leftovers. Looks Like A Pumpkin Exploded Now
Image credits: falconerchick
#34 From March Till October
Image credits: Brufar_308
#35 I Made Stupid And Weird Sounds To Get This Photo. Otherwise He Wouldn’t Look At Me
Image credits: SheridanSauvage
#36 This May Be The Single Greatest Picture Of Tibbi Ever Taken
Image credits: Ravetti
#37 My Alaskan Malamute Puppy Chinook In His Cedar House
Image credits: -EGC-SvetiKruh
#38 Sharing Is Caring
Image credits: wilde_run
#39 Adult Mars And… Baby Mars!
Image credits: PM-Me-Ur-Gore
#40 Crow, 8 Year Old
Image credits: melissakate8
#41 This Is Eli. 6yo Male Siberian Husky. Should Be Picking Him Up From The Shelter On Saturday!
Image credits: That_802_guy
#42 My Dad And My Alaskan Malamute Gideon. He Loves When My Dad Visits The House
Image credits: KangarooRIOT
#43 Meet Max, 50% Husky, 50% Wolf, 85 Lbs, And As Gentle As Can Be
Image credits: shortney46
#44 Koda, The 11 Week Old Wolf-Look-Alike Breed Northern Inuit Dog
Image credits: SarcasmIsStupid
#45 Them Eyes Though. Almost 5 Months Old
Image credits: Icarus_Downfall
#46 A Good Weekend To All!
Image credits: nocturnals_animals
#47 Czechoslovakian Wolfdog (Almost Made Me Jump Out Of My Skin)
Image credits: nagem7
#48 5 Minutes Into “Brush Me And Chill” And She Gives You This Look
Image credits: Srous226
#49 Here’s To Spooky Season & Colder Weather Starting, Giving Our Babes Gorgeous Coats
Image credits: catladyXxX
#50 Happy Tongue Out Tuesday From Nymeria!
Image credits: melissakate8
Source: boredpanda.com