Posts tagged "wolf"

Dogs, as we know, were domesticated from wolves. Over time, humans have used selective breeding to "customize" dogs into an enormous variety of shapes and sizes, many of which bear little resemblance today to their lupine forbears.

Some breeds--such as the Siberian husky, Alaskan malamute, German shepherd and Northern Inuit--remain close in breeding to the wolf. We're not sure what breed of pup is in this video, but we'd feel safe betting that he's one of those, and not just because of his appearance, but because of his cute/chilling, primally felt reaction to those wolf howls. We can't imagine a yorkie or an English bulldog doing this, can you?

British wolf expert (that's a thing?) (yes, that's a thing!) Shaun Ellis loves him some wolves. For years, he slept and lived with wolves at the Combe Martin Wildlife Park in Devon, England, where he was considered the "peacemaker" among the pack.

In this clip, Ellis (aka, the Wolfman) proves that although Cesar Millan may have cornered the dog whispering community, Shaun Ellis is the guy you go to when you want to teach your wolf to howl.

Also, can we borrow that baby wolf? TOO! CUTE!

Recently, eccentric model Bai Ling made headlines by adopting what she claimed was a cheetah/domestic cat hybrid, although experts agree that this would be impossible in nature. Most likely, what she had was a Savannah Cat. Still, people want to know how they can get their hands on their own hybrid pets. Well, be careful what you wish for; hybrid house pets can be a handful. Here is a quick overview of two popular hybrid animals.

The Savannah Cat: A cross between a serval and a house-cat, the Savannah cat is much larger than the typical house-cat, and can reach up to 30 pounds for a healthy adult male. They often have leopard spots, but can vary in color wildly, a symptom of hybridization. Similar to dogs in temperament, Savannahs are extremely loyal and affectionate, can be walked on a leash, and can even be trained to do tricks. They are intelligent and extremely curious, so you will have to cat proof your home.

The Wolf-Dog: With a similar appearance to an Alaskan Malamute, a wolf-dog is a cross between -- what else? -- a wolf and a dog. The dog half of the hybrid usually is wolf-like in appearance, i.e. shepherds, Malamutes, huskies, etc., resulting in varied coat patterns. The wolf-dog's temperament is highly unpredictable, extremely curious, destructive and can often have aggressive traits.

If you want to adopt an animal like this, be sure you extensively research the requirements for adoption and care, as many owners give up on these animals when they become too much to handle.