Wolves as Pets

A Reconsideration of the Legality of Domestic Wolf

Ownership in the United States

By Nate Neitz
A Humane Society Whitepaper

www.humanesociety.org
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Contents

Abstract ...................................................................................................... 3
Should domestic wolf ownership be legal? ............................................... 3
Statistics .................................................................................................. 4
Examples ................................................................................................. 5
What can be done? .................................................................................... 6
Conclusion ................................................................................................. 7
Works Cited ............................................................................................... 8

Figures

Figure 1..………………………………………………………………4
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Abstract
Wolves are generally thought of by most to be dangerous, wild animals. Despite this, the states
of Alabama, Idaho, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, West Virginia, and
Wisconsin still allow the domestic sale and ownership of “dogs” with more than 50% wolf DNA
with no regulation or licenses needed, similar to dogs or other house pets (Yglesias). This legal
ownership has resulted in a small, but significant saturation of domesticated wolves in the United
States, and attacks and deaths caused by wolf-dogs still occur in these states. Owners of these
animals may think that wolves and dogs are similar, and they are correct - to a certain extent.
However, there are fundamental differences between the two that can be dangerous. Wolves are
generally more aggressive, and show a much fiercer independence from humans, and, if raised
like a dog from birth, do not show the same emotional attachment to their caretakers as dogs do.
In addition to this, when examining and comparing the attack rates of domesticated wolf-dog
hybrids and adjusting for relative population numbers, it can be seen that a wolf-dog hybrid is
over 90 times more likely to attack or maim a human compared to Pitbulls or Rottweilers. This,
coupled with the fact that wolves are fundamentally different from dogs even when
domesticated, show why certain states have already outlawed the sale of these animals. As a
result of these statistics and studies, and as a response to the continuing amounts of reports of
wolf-dog hybrid attacks, the Humane Society proposes that the domestic sale and ownership of
dogs that contain more than 50% wolf DNA should be outlawed in the states of Alabama, Idaho,
Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. Doing so would
be an effective preventative measure to stop any future attacks or deaths from occurring in the
United States.

Should domestic wolf ownership be legal?

“WOLF-DOGS KILL OWNER - Sandra loved her nine half-wolf, half-dog hybrids. She loved to
play with them and show them off until one day she was found dead in their pen” (Animal
Planet).
Over the years, these types of news headlines have continued to appear throughout local news
stations and animal news websites. Although most people do not think of wolves as animals that
can be raised as pets, there are still many cases where they are raised as domestic pets, as
domestic ownership of these animals is legal in 8 US states. In the rest of the 42 US states,
lawmakers agree with the sentiment that wolves are dangerous animals that should not be kept as
pets, as the public sale of domesticated dog-wolf hybrids with over 50% wolf DNA without a
license is currently illegal in these 42 US states. These states acknowledge the differences
between these animals and have taken proper steps to control the situation. However, as stated
previously, there are a handful of states that still allow the sale of domestic purebred wolves, and
this leads to seeing headlines like the one quoted above.
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Fig. 1

Complete wolf ownership ban Permit Required for Ownership

Permit Required for Ownership Domestic Ownership Legal

Yglesias, Matthew. “Summary of State Laws Relating to the Private Possession of Exotic Animals.“ Slate. Oct. 3 2013.
http://www.slate.com/blogs/moneybox/2013/10/03/born_free_map_where_can_you_own_wild_animals.html

Statistics
Before introducing any arguments for action, the statistics related to wolf and dog attacks need to
be examined thoroughly. Last year, there were approximately 1,000 fatal and disfiguring dog
attacks that occurred in the United States alone, the majority of which involved Pitbulls. Since
1982, there have been over 8,000 reported fatal and disfiguring dog attacks. Out of all of these,
around 92 of these deadly/disfiguring attacks came from domestically owned wolf/dog hybrids.
Contrasting this, the number of Pitbull and Rottweiler attacks since 1982 have been 5,000 and
500, respectively (Clifton et al).
After seeing this, one may think that the amount of wolf-dog hybrid attacks is insignificant.
However, this is not the case.
Pitbulls comprise approximately 5% of the dog population in the US, with Rottweilers at around
2%. Domestic Wolf-Dog hybrids only total less than one thousandth of a percent (>.001%) of the
total dog population in the US. After adjusting for population distribution, it can be seen that
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domestic wolf-dog hybrids have a nearly 90 times higher attack rate then Pitbulls, and 180 times
more than Rottweilers, the two next most “violent” dog breeds.
There are several explanations for these high attack rates. For Pitbulls and Rottweilers, high
attack numbers can be explained by the fact that Pitbulls and Rottweilers are some of the
strongest dog breeds, and as a result of this, many are bred purposely to be used as fighting dogs.
Dogs raised for fighting are often abused heavily throughout their lives, and this abuse leads to
overly aggressive behavior. However, when they are raised properly, they do not generally turn
out this way.
The same cannot be said about domestic wolf-dog hybrids. Studies have shown that wolves are
fundamentally different than dogs in many ways. One of the biggest differences is the fact that
wolves are very independent animals compared to dogs, and thus show less care for humans
compared to dogs (Logue). In addition to this, studies have shown that even after being raised by
humans from birth, wolves do not show the same attachment to their caretakers as compared to
dogs once they reach a certain age (Dvorsky). Brain scans of dogs show that they enjoy being
around humans a great deal, whereas with wolves they do not find the same enjoyment that dogs
do when being around humans.
In addition to this, wolves are biologically more inclined to essentially only tolerate a strict meat-
only diet. Dogs, on the other hand, can tolerate a more varied diet including grains and some
plants vegetables. This could increase the likelihood of a domesticated wolf-dog hybrid attacking
a human.

Examples
The previous information has been supported by countless examples of wolf attacks throughout
the years. In the case of the headline quoted previously, Sandra Piovesan, a resident of Salem
Township, New Mexico, had owned and raised 12 wolf-dog hybrids since they were born. She
had fed them and taken care of them for years, and treated them as pets. One day, her mauled
body was discovered in the feeding pen among the wolves. Nothing was out of the ordinary, she
had been feeding them as she normally did every day, except this time one (or more) of the
wolves attacked her and killed her. Just like research shows, wolves can be unpredictable and
dangerous even after years of domestication, and this example illustrates this well. This example
occurred in 2006, before wolf ownership was outlawed in New Mexico.
Continuing on this, to make matters worse, most wolf-dog hybrid attacks involve children, not
adults. One particular example occurred in 2003, in Idaho, where 13-month-old Andre Thomas
was essentially eaten by a wolf-dog hybrid owned by his father. The animal had apparently been
raised as a pet since birth, and was friendly towards humans. However, one day the wolf was not
let outside at night like usual, so it stayed in the house. The child was sleeping on the sofa, and
by the morning, the wolf had eaten most of the child. Following this tragic event, the owners and
their neighbors both stated that the wolf was not an aggressive animal, and that the attack came
as a surprise to them. To this day, wolf ownership remains legal in Idaho.
These are just a few of the many cases in which domesticated wolves have unpredictably turned
on humans. Also, when law enforcement deals with attacks or deaths, they usually “euthanize”
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the wolf(s) involved, generally by shooting them. In addition to this, when wolf-dog hybrids are
picked up by pounds and shelters, it is often nearly impossible to find owners for them, and they
usually end up being euthanized. Denying the ownership of these animals can also help avoid the
euthanization of these animals.

What can be done?

It is obvious that wolves are different than dogs in many ways and cannot be owned by humans
as pets without a decent risk of an attack, even when raised correctly. As stated previously, many
US states have already recognized this and have legislation in place banning the domestic
ownership and sale of dogs that contain more than 50% wolf DNA. The rest of the states allow
unregulated and unlicensed sale and ownership of “dogs” that contain up to 98% wolf DNA,
which are essentially pure wolves.
In addition to this, many wolf-dog hybrid attacks occurred with legally owned animals that had
been purchased and raised in their respective states, according to the law.
Essentially, the way to stop future attacks is to pass legislature in the states of Alabama, Idaho,
Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, West Virginia, and Wisconsin that prohibits the
sales of domestic “dogs” with more than 50% wolf DNA. This legislature would be similar or
identical to the currently existing laws in place in the 42 states that have already banned the sale
and ownership of these animals. In addition to this, as stated previously, no animals would be
separated from their owners. However, this legislation would immediately affect sales of wolf-
dog hybrids, banning further sales from occurring without a special license (showing that the
purchaser works for a zoo or the government, etc.).

How will this solution help?

As owners that already possess Wolf-Dog hybrids will be allowed to keep their animals, there
will not be an immediate reduction in attacks. However, as sales are halted, the reduction in sales
will most definitely cut down on the number of attacks. This can be seen in previous states that
outlawed the ownership of these animals, as the attacks were cut down by nearly 90% in most of
these states.
Some people might bring up the fact that currently owned wolves may not be documented
enough to verify if they were purchased before the date of passing the legislature. This can be
dealt with in similar fashion to how the states that have already outlawed wolves have handled
this issue. Current wolf owners that do not currently have documentation showing ownership of
their wolf will be required to fill out a form before the bill is turned to law. If this form is not
filled out and they do not have any documentation at all showing that they owned the wolf before
the ban (i.e. veterinarian records, sale receipt, etc.) the wolf may be taken from the owner at the
discretion of the local sheriff or animal control expert.
Overall, as seen in previous states that banned these animals from being sold for domestic
ownership, these laws will drastically cut down on the number of wolf-dog hybrids in the overall
“dog” population in the United States. As “domesticated” wolves are responsible for over 80%
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of wolf attacks in the United States, reducing their population will most definitely cut down on
the number of attacks in the United States.

Conclusion
In conclusion, after examining statistics, studies, and countless examples of attacks, it is obvious
that domesticated wolves are fundamentally different than dogs in many ways, and are
essentially still wild animals. These differences directly correlate with exponentially higher
attack rates compared to the most “violent” dog breeds, even when the wolves are raised in a
caring home. In order to avoid more attacks in the future, legislation should be passed to outlaw
the sales of “dogs” that contain more than 50% of identifiable wolf DNA.
This solution would prevent any further injuries that will inevitably occur in the future as a result
of civilian ownership of domestic wolves. When this solution is implemented, headlines about
deaths caused by wolves will be a thing of the past, ensuring a better future for pet owners and
wolves alike.
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Works Cited

Brunt, Johnathan. “Child Killed by Wolf-Dog Hybrid.” Timber Wolf Information Network,
www.timberwolfinformation.org/child-killed-by-wolf-dog-hybrid/.
Clifton, Merritt, et al. “Child Gives an Arm to Pet a Wolf Hybrid.” Animals 24-7, 15 May 2017,
www.animals24-7.org/2017/04/14/child-gives-an-arm-to-pet-a-wolf-hybrid/.
Clifton, Merritt, et al. “Dog Attack Deaths & Maimings, U.S. & Canada, 1982-2016.” Animals
24-7, 30 Apr. 2017, www.animals24-7.org/2017/01/03/dog-attack-deaths-maimings-u-s-
canada-1982-2016/.
Dvorsky, George. “What Happens to Wolves When They're Raised Like Dogs?” Gizmodo,
Gizmodo.com, 28 June 2017, gizmodo.com/what-happens-to-wolves-when-theyre-raised-
like-dogs-1796458238.
Logue, Heather. “Wolf vs. Dog: What's the Difference?” Rover.com, 29 May 2018,
www.rover.com/blog/wolf-vs-dog-whats-difference/.
wikiHow. “How to Own a Pet Wolf.” WikiHow, WikiHow, 15 July 2018,
www.wikihow.com/Own-a-Pet-Wolf.
“Wolf-Dogs Kill Owner - Fatal Attractions.” Animal Planet, www.animalplanet.com/tv-
shows/fatal-attractions/videos/wolf-dogs-kill-owner.
Yglesias, Matthew. “Here's Where You Can Legally Own a Wolf.” Slate Magazine, Slate, 3 Oct.
2013,
www.slate.com/blogs/moneybox/2013/10/03/born_free_map_where_can_you_own_wild
_animals.html.