Two Wolves

[Romulus111VADT]

There is a lot to be admired in the wolf. Lovely creatures.

My late uncle had a full grown timber wolf as a pet. He found it as a pup and raised it. He called it, "Woofy" and it was extremely protective of my uncle and loyal to an incredible degree.

My uncle had an 18' high chain linked fence around his sizable backyard so Woofy could get some exercise.

Woofy was a beautiful animal and quite friendly towards you once my uncle gave him the approval.

When my uncle died, Woofy would lay beside my uncles empty bed and whimper for weeks after his death. Woofy all of a sudden disappeared out of the back yard one day while my aunt was out. They found Woofy a day later lying dead on top of my uncles grave. They buried Woofy beside my uncle at my aunts insistance. Now she has joined them both and the three graves look rather odd. Woofy-my uncle and my aunt all in a row.

Everyone was baffled as to how Woofy found the grave clear across town, especially since he wasn't at the funeral. That and how a full grown timber wolf could get clear across town w/o being seen or at least reported to the authorities.

The instincts that these animals have is incredible.  :o

[beaky]

That's a beautiful story...
We often forget that every breed of dog we know today, from the loathesome Pomeranian to the mighty mastiff, is descended from some variety of wild canine that bore little resemblance physically to the relatively recent varieties created by selective breeding.
But the one thing they all share with each other, and their wolf-like ancestors, is a social code that just works very well with basic human ways... they've been sharing and guarding our hunting grounds, homes, food and fires for thousands of years, and once a dog bonds with you, you will have a hard time finding a better friend.
I guess the very first experiments with bringing proto-dogs or prehistoric wolves or whatever into human clans involved adopting an orphaned pup, just as that story describes.
 So although a full-blooded wolf from stock that has had to avoid and mistrust humans for generations has to be regarded as a wild animal and one must respect its wildness, that potential for social bonding is still there, waiting.  
It's almost like we were made for each other...

 ;D

[Saitek]

That's really sweet. They really are loyal. it would be illegal here. You are only allowed 25% wolf I think.

[H]

That's really sweet. They really are loyal. it would be illegal here. You are only allowed 25% wolf I think.

It's not 'legal' to do so here but I've known of two that were; the few others I've known were interbred. All were quite docile (unless some idiot was foolish enough to rile them; there are people that shouldn't be around other animals).

[Ivan]

In holland it's probably illegal...
they even try to prevent people to get anything larger than a rottweiler...

[Craig.]

It's not 'legal' to do so here but I've known of two that were; the few others I've known were interbred. All were quite docile (unless some idiot was foolish enough to rile them; there are people that shouldn't be around other animals).

Its like any animal really.
If you want to own something as close to a wolf as you can get, buy a siberian or other breed of Husky. We used to have a family friend who owned one. Really gorgeous and loving dog, problem was, it dropped hair like it was nothing. You would walk in to see an inch of hair covering the carpet:) Plus if it got bored it would take it out on the furniture.

[Romulus111VADT]

Woofy was a highly unusual wolf to say the least. He definitely showed the wolf's pack mentality and I guess in Woofy's eyes, my uncle was the Alpha-male.

My uncles family was the pack to Woofy. He even seemed able to remember people that my uncle allowed into his home. But if my uncle would get angry at a guest and holler at them. Woofy would be at the ready with those very large and mean looking teeth showing. If the word was given, then Woofy would escort the offending person to the door....

The devotion that Woofy had for my uncle was beyond belief. We always teased my uncle that it was because he spoiled Woofy rotten. I mean darn, when my uncle would cook steaks on the grill, the biggest steak was for Woofy. If my uncle was drinking beer, Woofy had some also. LMAO, my uncle said that Woofy was the best drinking buddy he had. He'd sit there and listen to my uncle talk and seemed quite interested in the conversation. Crap, I swear Woofy could understand him.

[H]

If you want to own something as close to a wolf as you can get, buy a siberian or other breed of Husky. We used to have a family friend who owned one. Really gorgeous and loving dog, problem was, it dropped hair like it was nothing.

For a short time, we had a malamute husky on our farm but he couldn't take being a one and only (had been a sled dog) and we kept finding him at the vet kennels about ten miles away. My aunt had two siberian huskies but my oldest cousin, her daughter (my aunt's, not the huskies' ), raised pedigree German shepherds.

He'd sit there and listen to my uncle talk and seemed quite interested in the conversation. Crap, I swear Woofy could understand him.

The consensus is that the average dog's intelligence level is that of the average 2-year-old human. Aside from all actions to the contrary -- or the claims of those older , can a 2-year-old understand you?

[BFMF]

We always teased my uncle that it was because he spoiled Woofy rotten. I mean darn, when my uncle would cook steaks on the grill, the biggest steak was for Woofy. If my uncle was drinking beer, Woofy had some also. LMAO, my uncle said that Woofy was the best drinking buddy he had. He'd sit there and listen to my uncle talk and seemed quite interested in the conversation. Crap, I swear Woofy could understand him.

LOL. This takes the phrase 'Man's best friend' to a whole new level

[Flt.Lt.Andrew]

Hitler liked wolves. Think about THAT.


A.


P.S Sick story

[Craig.]

Hitler liked wolves. Think about THAT.


A.


P.S Sick story

Whats your point?

[Romulus111VADT]

The consensus is that the average dog's intelligence level is that of the average 2-year-old human. Aside from all actions to the contrary -- or the claims of those older , can a 2-year-old understand you?

I'd agree with that, though I think ole Woofy may have graduated the 6th grade....

One of my uncles funnies stories about Woofy was when he tried to teach him to fetch a beer from the refrigerator. He said that Woofy mastered opening and closing the refrigerator very quickly. But it seemed that Woofy had trouble not puncturing the beer can with his fangs and my uncle would end up with at best half a beer. I asked about the clean up of the beer and my uncle said that there never was anything to clean up. Then my uncles eyes got as big around as saucers, he looked at Woofy and said, "Why you sly old wolf, you did it on purpose didn't you!" Woofy looked at him with that innocent look like he was saying, "Who, me, nah", as his tail was wagging up a storm (in other words- busted!). Then my uncle suddenly realized that ever since he'd taught Woofy to open the refrigerator, they hadn't had any leftovers. He started laughing his ass off, he looked at Woofy and said, "Thanks buddy, I hate leftovers, but keep you bloody paws off my pie!"

The strange part about the missing leftovers was that the dishes were never left in the refrigerator. We tested a theory with Woofy, my uncle handed Woofy a dirty dish, he took the dirty dish to the kitchen sink and drop the dish into the sink. My aunt commented, "Well, at least Woofy knows where the dirty dishes go, unlike his master. Hmmm, do you think you could teach him how to use the dishwasher?" My uncle just said, "I'm not going to push my luck." He laughed and commented, "Next you'll have him running the vacuum and I'm not going to do that to my buddy!"

We all started laughing and my uncle said that he hadn't taught Woofy to put the dishes in the sink. We surmised that Woofy must have seen people doing that and that he'd figured it out on his own.

[BFMF]

LOL

[Romulus111VADT]

"The wolf is the largest wild dog. Nearly twice the size of a coyote, it stands up to 34 inches at the shoulder, measures 57 to 76 inches from nose to tail tip and weighs 70 to 120 pounds. An adult leaves paw prints more than 4 inches long and 3.75 inches wide. The gray wolf's pelt may be any color from black to white, or a mix." From- http://www.markings.bc.ca/mind/wolf/wolf1.html

Woofy stood probably 40 " at the shoulder and was probably between 50"and 60" at the top of the head. His length was most definitely on the high side at about 80" nose to the tip of his tail. It's not easy to measure a wolf....

His larger than average size was probably due in large part to his diet. He ate considerably better that a wild wolf would have by far and was by far healthier than the average wolf with his constant trips to the vets. The bad part of his human food diet was he was a bit on the heavy size for a wolf. He was at least 150 pounds. Ever tried to weigh a wolf? You can't get them to stand on a scale and are a handful to try and pick up.

Woofy was a grey wolf, but he was almost completely black with some grey.


This isn't Woofy....I posted it to give you an idea what he looked like. He's been dead 25 years, but he is remembered fondly. He was an extraordinary wolf.