Wolf Hybrids at Annie's Orphans

Annie's Orphans is presently home to nine wolf-hybrids. Not a week goes by without 2-3 calls from people wanting to get rid of one or more. At one point earlier this year we had 15 hybrids in search of homes from just one state! These are wonderful animals, but they simply should not be bred or kept as pets. This stance puts us in direct conflict with wolf-hybrid breeders, whose ads for puppies may be found every weekend in many newspapers. They do not, however, have to face the emotional trauma we see every day; both on families giving up loved pets and these animals who are destined never to fit in.

If you are even thinking of getting a hybrid, PLEASE educate yourself first. Do not put your trust in the breeder alone. Talk to as many owners and rescues as you can to see what problems they have had. Check the ownership limitations imposed by your state. Those are published on-line by the Wildlife Education and Research Foundation. You should also check your local ordinances. Hybrids are prohibited in many areas even though allowed under state law. In other areas Humane Society rules preclude their re-adoption, so any hybrids turned in or picked up as strays are immediately put down. And because wolf crosses can be so difficult to identify, pounds across the country routinely put down arctic-mix dogs rather than taking the chance of error.

Consider whether you are willing to put up the necessary accomodations. People rarely have problems with hybrids before one year of age, but at that point many of them become true escape artists. You will need a heavy gauge chain link fence that is a minimum of 6 feet tall. We recommend eight feet. Many hybrids will also attempt to dig their way free, so the fence must either continue well below ground, or be bent at ground level and extended several feet out into the yard. Fencing of this nature is far more expensive than most owners are willing to provide. Nor is it a guarantee against escape. We've had several who were such accomplished tunnelers that filling their holes with boulders was the only effective deterrent. If you want them to be happy, the yard will need to be a half acre or more. You will also have to provide canine companionship. Hybrids left alone inside become destructive. Those alone outside escape.

If none of these concerns have discouraged you, please remember that like many pure bred dogs, hybrids can be unpredictable with children and small animals.

The six hybrids pictured here were selected to show their diversity in appearance and temperament. (From top to bottom) Kayenta came to us at age six. From puppy on she had been the loving pet of a single woman. She could not adjust when the woman married and had a child. To this day Anna is the only one who can approach her without invoking fear/aggression. Foxey is 11 years old and very sweet, but difficult to handle because of strength she can still use to bulldoze through most fences. Houdini II is a wolf/Alaskan sled dog cross who was dumped when past his pulling prime. Note the gauge fencing required to keep him at home. Jesse is now 13 and enough of a sweetheart that she could have been adopted out. She stayed because of urinary incontinence and hypothyroidism. Osage is half husky, half hybrid. At only 35 pounds she doesn't look much like a wolf, but the heritage is certainly reflected in her personality.

Maugua is one of our few real success stories. He'd been through three owners before us as no one could keep him in. This picture was taken just after he arrived and he was pretty thin. He eventually filled out to 180 lbs. Fortunately, he was high enough percentage wolf that, after neutering, we were able to place him in a private reserve. He now has five acres to roam with a couple lady friends.

PO Box 1135
East Sandwich, MA 02537
Phone: (508) 888-5923   Fax: (508) 888-5923
Email: info@goldenwonders.com
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