Exotic pets??

[legia]

I have a highcontent wolf puppy. He's got a little malamute in him too. Does anyone else have an "exotic" pet? The steriotypes about my little guy are kind of funny at first, but the older and bigger he gets the more they upset me. He's still a puppy and only 60 pounds now but he has the potentional to max out at 150. He's almost the complete opposite of what people expect a wolf to be. His best friends are a 15 pound boston terrier and a 5 pound black kitten. He's got so much personality and it kills me that people think they know what he's going to be like the first time they meet him. they expect a "dangerous" wild animal when he's only a couple of inbred generations away from thier stupid purebreds.

[legia]

p.s. i don't think all purebreeds are dumb. I just don't understand why more and more of them are born when there are perfectly good puppies at the pound who tend to be smarter and healthier than thier "pure" breed cousins.

[hotcooknmama]

Weeellllll.... I bet your little guy is wonderful, and I trust you have the resources and training/ education to raise a (predominantly) wild animal in a way that has only good outcomes... but if people have negative ideas about wild animal pets, well, I think that's because there have been so many wild-pet situations that end badly. It may be the human's fault-- it almost always is-- but if the human takes on more than they can handle, doesn't provide adequate care/ environment/ etc. & the animal DOES hurt someone, it's always the animal that pays... I would TOTALLY enjoy meeting you guys at the dog park or something, and I'm sure he's very lovable & all; but you can't deny, a lot of people have caused a lot of negative outcomes for wild animals by keeping them as pets... Not to say that's always the case-- but I think reservations are understandable, & not necessarily personally directed towards you and your individual pet.

That said-- I TOTALLY agree with you on pound-puppy rescue vs. bought-dog situations... mutts rock!

[amymylove]

your pet isn't really wild is he? i hope he isn't because when he gets older he could seriously harm someone including yourself, children and your beloved dogs... if this typr of animal is meant to keep as a pet than fine but if not u really need to find a santuary where he can live before he get's too big... wild animals are wild and therefore belong in the wild IMO

[hotcooknmama]

AML-- wolf hybrids are not strictly 'wild,' and don't seem to have as hard a time as, say, racoons kept as pets; they have some genes from domestic dogs. They do have a different temperament than dogs, with different requirements for raising; it's not the same as keeping a wild wolf... but not the same as keeping a dog either. I think that puppyhood is one thing/ adulthood another; I hope things continue to go well...

 I've read some about this, but haven't known any wolf hybrids personally, & I can understand legia's frustration with 'stereotyping' of her pet, by others; but (again, not speaking from personal experience) it also seems like humans have often not done well by wildish pets, so, legia, that's surely where negative feelings from others are originating... you gotta see how that could happen.

[amymylove]

oh i get it like those cheetah cat hybrids... yes i remember them being a bit more aggressive... so i guess be really careful i just hope that the dog doesn't accidental hurt anything... i always wanted one of those cheetah cats until i heard they can be really aggressive

[legia]

techinally hybrid is not a correct term. because ALL domestic dogs are bred from wolves. That's part of the  misconception about wolves. They  do tend to become more recluse as they get older but aggression almost never comes from natural instincts. True the prey aspect means don't leave him with small children or animals but that is true of any dog. It's about the same "danger" as owning a pitbull. The breed is friendly it's just stupid owners that train them to misbehave.

[hotcooknmama]

techinally hybrid is not a correct term. because ALL domestic dogs are bred from wolves.

I'm glad your pet has a good loving home, & I'm not trying to give you grief; but this statement is not correct, and has implications that I find disturbing. Dogs and wolves descended from the same canid ancestor, most likely the then-wolf-- dogs became a distinct species somewhere between 8,000 and 12,000 years ago. Both wolves and dogs continued to evolve, throughout the intervening time. Today's wolves and dogs are very different, skeletally (i.e. muzzle length), neurologically (wolves have a larger cortex), and behaviorally (that's why dingoes, who evolved from feral dogs, don't have the same pack structure or social behavior as wolves). Both animals are very different from the wolf of 10,000 years ago, when they split off on separate paths... there's a whole lot more than 'a couple of generations' separating modern wolves and modern dogs!

Humans are 'bred from' other primate ancestors, but a human and a chimpanzee are two different creatures. True, dogs & wolves haven't been on separate evolutionary paths long enough that they can't interbreed; but to say that they are functionally the same creature is just not accurate.

I don't know if wolf-dog pups make good pets or not, since I've never had one... But given what I do know about wolves and dogs separately, I think it's a mistake to encourage people to see them as interchangeable animals. I think that's how a lot of problems get started for this kind of pet-- humans expect them to be just like a domestic dog; they aren't, so trouble follows; and then people are left with the negative views of these kind of pets, which you yourself have repeatedly experienced. I'm not trying to give you a hard time; I just don't think it's a good idea to give people the idea that wolves & dogs are the same thing-- they're not.

[dl-bailey]

I have three chickens in addition to one dog and two cats.  Would you consider them exotic?  Well, maybe just weird!  They do make great pets, though.  They are extremely domesticated (for over 6,000 years),  intellegent, friendly and can easily become a beloved housepet.  As I type this, I have one sitting on my lap. Couldn't imagine my life without them.  I recommend chickens for anyone that wants to have a cat/dog type pet but are allergic to anything with fur.

Wolves and domesticated dogs are too different sub-species.  They have about a 2% genetic difference.  It is an important difference.  One between wild and domesticated   As you are probably already aware, you have to be very careful with this pet.

[hotcooknmama]

One last reply, then I'm out-- I know this isn't a debate forum, I just think it's important because it can lead to false human expectations for wolf/dog behavior, which can lead to such bad things for the animal in question...

For comparison purposes: according to www.genengnews.com, humans and chimpanzees have a 1% genetic difference...

Legia, I wish you well with your pet, and am glad he's got a human that is so enthusiastic about his care.

[amymylove]

I have three chickens in addition to one dog and two cats.  Would you consider them exotic?  Well, maybe just weird!  They do make great pets, though.  They are extremely domesticated (for over 6,000 years),  intellegent, friendly and can easily become a beloved housepet.  As I type this, I have one sitting on my lap. Couldn't imagine my life without them.  I recommend chickens for anyone that wants to have a cat/dog type pet but are allergic to anything with fur.

Wolves and domesticated dogs are too different sub-species.  They have about a 2% genetic difference.  It is an important difference.  One between wild and domesticated   As you are probably already aware, you have to be very careful with this pet.

i heard chickens were mean and peck at ur feet? is that true because i kinda wanted one when i was older with a nice house... i also want a pig

[dl-bailey]

No!  Had these since they were chicks and are very use to people.  They do have a pecking order and can show aggression to each other.  It really isn't any worse than how 2 cats in the same house.  Occasionally they growl or peck at each other.  Nothing too bad.   Only once did my chicken bite me.  She felt really bad and never did it again. 

I think that they are very friendly and more gentle than other pets.  Hens tend to be much more docile than roosters.  If you want to get an adult rooster make sure that it is not aggressive to people or pets.

Those that have aggressive chickens keep them in crowded, inhumane conditions and rarely if ever pet or hold them.  My hens have the whole backyard, sleep inside in a very large dogcrate and are always cuddled and petted.   They seem happy and get along well with people and dogs.  Don't like cats, though.  But the cats tend to stay away from them.  So no problems.

[amymylove]

hmmmm yay then i think i will get a couple when i have a big yard