She was half timber wolf and half German shepherd. Her name was Natasha, and she lived in a small apartment with her owner, a young single female. The owner was a little strange, and so was Natasha. She took to me right away, but she didn’t like my husband at all. She wasn’t aggressive toward him, but she was frightened by him. Remember, I was only eighteen at the time, so I was rather foolish. Even though I had reservations about purchasing the wolf hybrid, I figured I could socialize her properly once I got her home. Perhaps if Tasha had been younger when we got her, I would have been able to achieve this goal. We lived on the outskirts of town when we got Tasha, with fields, pastures, and cows around us. Our next-door-neighbors had a black lab that was allowed to roam freely, so we figured we could do the same thing with Tasha. The first thing she did was to attack a cow. Obviously, we couldn’t allow that, so we began keeping her indoors. That didn’t work out well, either.

She would destroy anything that had my husband’s scent on it. Finally, we realized that Tasha had to be kept on a long chain outside when we weren’t home. I didn’t like this, but I didn’t know what else to do. We lived in a rental house, so putting up a fence wasn’t an option. Sometimes I took Tasha out in the woods for a nice long run. This worked great as long as we didn’t encounter any other animals. If we did, her predatory instincts took over. She’d attack anything that moved, including other dogs. When our neighbor had a friend from Canada visiting, the friend brought with him a fighting pit bull and wanted to pit him against Tasha. I’m very against dog fighting, so I refused. A couple of days later, however, I came home to find the guy in my yard with his dog, about to turn him loose on Tasha. He did it before I could intervene. Tasha was killing the dog by the time I got to them. As I was trying to pull my dog off the pit, Tasha accidentally bit me on the hand.

The bite exposed my first knuckle, and I still have a scar there today. When Tasha came into heat, she was visited several times by a beautiful white male German shepherd. Needless to say, she got pregnant. Before the puppies arrived, we moved to an apartment, and Tasha got to live indoors full time. She had eight adorable wolf hybrid puppies. I guess they would be considered ¾ German shepherd and ¼ timber wolf. I really fell in love with one of the wolf hybrid pups and decided to keep him. Furniture Warehouse Sale In SingaporeI named him Blitz.Best Rated Engineered Hardwood Flooring Tasha was a great mother, but she became more and more protective of her “cubs.” Non Surgical Weight Loss Success Stories

It got to the point where she wouldn’t let anyone but me near her. She also began showing aggression toward everyone except me. Soon after the pups were born, I discovered that I was pregnant. I knew I couldn’t have such an aggressive and unpredictable animal around a baby, so we decided to put Tasha up for adoption. Our vet agreed to house her at our clinic so that people considering adopting a wolf hybrid could see her. Many folks wanted her when they saw how beautiful she was, but they quickly had a change of heart when she lunged at them through the chain-link pen. After several weeks, we realized that our only option was to have Tasha humanely euthanized. We sold six of the puppies, and I gave one to my best friend. As I said, I kept Blitz. Blitz looked a lot like his mom, but he didn’t act anything like her. He was a great dog, and I had no reservations about having him around my baby. I had a little girl, by the way, and I named her Mandy. She and Blitz were great friends.

He watched over her like a mother hen! By that time, we lived in the country, and there were a lot of other dogs around, including some wild dogs. One day as I was strolling Mandy, some wild dogs threatened us, but Blitz protected us. Another time, he killed a rattlesnake that was near us. Blitz was very protective of us and of his yard, but otherwise, anyone could pet him. He also lacked the predator gene that had driven his mother. We had lots of cows and horses, and Blitz never tried to hurt them. We used to laugh at how he played with the cattle. He'd chase them for a few yards, then they'd turn around and chase him. All in all, he was one of the best dogs I’ve ever owned, and I really grieved when he died. If you’re thinking about getting a wolf hybrid, please get one that’s still very young. Take extra steps to socialize it. Get it used to being around a lot of different people, animals, and situations. Assert yourself as pack leader from day one, and read all you can about wolf hybrids.

I’ve talked to a lot of people who’ve had experience with wolf hybrids, and most agree that quarter-hybrids make the best dogs. That was certainly the case with me and my wolf hybrids. I think maybe Tasha just had too much wolf heritage and too much in common with wolves. I do blame much of her behavior on her upbringing, however. You’ll need to check out the laws in your state, too. In some states, it’s illegal to own a wolf hybrid. In other states, you have to have a special license. The last time I checked, you could own a wolf hybrid in some states with no special permits or considerations. Unless you know what you're doing, you’ll probably be better off with a purebred German shepherd or some other dog breed than you would be with a wolf hybrid. Adopt an Irish Wolfhound Picture: Kent and Donna Dannen Original function:coursing wolves and elk Average size of male:Ht: >32, Wt: >120 Average size of female:Ht: >30, Wt: >105 Irish Wolfhound Dogs Available on Petfinder Right Now

Irish Wolfhound Dog Temperament Aptly known as the gentle giant, the Irish Wolfhound is a soft-natured, easygoing breed. He is calm around the house, sensitive, patient, easygoing and sweet. Despite his great size, he is good with children, pets and other dogs. It can be reserved with strangers and courageous when the need arises. Irish Wolfhound Dog Care The Irish Wolfhound enjoys a long walk and a chance to stretch its legs, so he needs daily exercise. At home the Wolfhound needs ample room to stretch out on a soft surface and should not be required to live in cramped quarters. He can develop callouses if allowed to lie on hard surfaces too often. His coat needs to be brushed or combed once or twice weekly, plus occasional slight scissoring to neaten up straggly hairs. Dead hairs should be stripped twice a year. Irish Wolfhound Dog Health Major concerns: gastric torsion Minor concerns: cardiomyopathy, OCD, osteosarcoma, CHD Suggested tests: (hip), (heart)

Life span: 5-7 years Note: sensitive to anesthesia; prone to tail-tip injuries Dogs Related to the Irish Wolfhound Saluki (or Gazelle Hound) Interested in the history of the Irish Wolfhound dog breed? Dogs of great size are believed to have come to Ireland from Greece by 1500 B.C. In Ireland they became even more imposing, and gifts of these great dogs were made to Rome. The first definite mention of the Irish Wolfhound occurred in Rome in A.D. 391. The breed gained fame for its imposing stature and ability in fighting wild animals in arena sports. He was so acclaimed in Ireland that he became the subject of many legends recounting his valor in battle and chase. All large hounds were once known as cu, a term implying bravery. The Irish name for the breed is Cu Faoil. Favored by Irish chieftains for the hunt, he gained his reputation as an unparalleled hunter of wolves and Irish elk. Illustrations of these dogs from the 17th century look very similar to modern Irish Wolfhounds.

The impressive hounds (often seven at a time) were traditionally given to foreign nobility. This practice, along with the extinction of the wolf in Ireland in the 18th century, contributed to the decline of the breed's numbers. By the 19th century, Irish Wolfhounds were almost extinct in Ireland, and the famine of 1845 virtually decimated the breed. In 1869, Capt. G. A. Graham determined to resurrect the Irish Wolfhound, a task he set about by crossing the few existing Wolfhounds (in particular one named Bran, thought to be the last true wolfhound in Ireland) with such breeds as the Scottish Deerhound as well as the Great Dane, the Borzoi and even the Tibetan wolf dog. When first exhibited at a dog show in the 1870s, the reborn Wolfhound created a sensation (the same reaction it inspires to this day when first seen). Its commanding appearance draws many admirers, but its popularity is tempered by the practicalities of keeping such a large dog. Shelters with Irish Wolfhound Dogs Some animal welfare organizations with Irish Wolfhounds ready for adoption: