Wolf rule # 1: If it’s in my mouth, it’s mine. Period. It’s very counterproductive for wolves to fight with each other.

It’s a shame that people become so fixated on exotic pets when we have so many wonderful dogs around already. They’re seek out our companionship, they look to use for cues, and they actually try and engage with us through eye contact unlike other mammals. They’re the perfect companion for us. I find it hard to believe that anyone could ever run out of things to do with their dog – hence their need for something more exotic.

But I think folks probably compare a dog to a wolf not so much in the ways they (think they) are similar now, but in the deep-down things that affect a dog because they evolved from wolves. Just like a modern human is not a caveman (well… most of them aren’t) but we have some things that are hard-wired in us that have come along from our caveman days. Like… why does my dog roll in stinky stuff? Does it harken back to those hunting instincts? (And why does my heart race when I’m late for a flight or whatever? It’s not as if it’s the same as a saber-toothed tiger sniffing around my cave, but you get the same stress response.)

And I totally agree w/ Donna. The ‘feed raw cuz that’s what wolves eat’ argument doesn’t make sense to me. Dogs have been eating our scraps (mostly cooked scraps) for 1000s of years.

Yep, I best you hear wolf comparisons a lot. Huskies and malamutes are probably the most wolf-like of all dogs. And yet genetically, they have more in common with a chihuahua than they do with a wolf.

Fascinating, huh?

Thanks. When I had a shepherd mix, I thought more about the similarities. But no one would ever get a golden retriever (or doodle) confused with a wolf.

The book is excellent. And I always love to read. But I’d gladly trade winter reading in for beach reading. 🙂

Heck, all canines are fascinating whether they’re similar and dissimilar. 🙂

Glad you enjoyed the gift exchange. You might also want to join Saturday’s Pet Blogger’s Challenge. It’s the 5th year running and it’s lots of fun. If you haven’t seen it already, you can learn more here: http://gopetfriendlyblog.com/youre-invited-to-the-5th-annual-pet-blogger-challenge-on-january-10th/

A couple of other points–all the females except those they intend to breed retain their breeding organs, but have their tubes tied.
And because their girls were not getting along, the alpha was the only one to remain with the pack, to keep things relatively bloodless.
With wolves, “alpha” generally means mom and dad. The others do have their rank, though. They just almost never actually fight for it, although there is a lot of posturing.
Many people from all over the world, including those who study wolves in the wild, come to Wolf Park and observe the wolves there and then observe wild wolves as much as they can, looking for differences and similarities.