Cheyenne's Howl

Printed in Mountain Messenger on Friday - October 31, 1997

Wolfdogs vs Dogs

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; Wow, wasn't that snow great. I just loved it. I like to dig in it, roll in it, bury myself in it, eat it, play in it, and do all kinds of neat wolfy things. Dad says I look like a big hairy gofer when I burrow into the snow. For me this is great, but I don't think Dad liked it as much as I did. He says he is already tired of shoveling snow for the season. If he doesn't want to shovel any more this year he better get a snow blower because the season has just begun. YES!!!!!!!!!!

; Last week I said that I would tell you about a special offer being made by my Editor at the Messenger, and here it is. As most of my readers know, if you subscribe to the Mountain Messenger, it costs $24 a year. Now tell him that you want the Cheyenne's Howl Special and you will receive a full year for just $18. Not only that, but he will donate back to the Defenders Of Wildlife, $2 to the Wolf Compensation Fund. As most of you know, this fund compensates ranchers for any livestock proven to be taken by wolves. So far they have paid out about $40,000. Thank you, Reno.

; A question I am constantly asked is, "How do wolfdogs compare to other breeds in bite-related fatalities?" Unfortunately the answer to this question can lead the uninformed and easily swayed into believing that all members of a certain breed are dangerous. This is not so. Pit Bulls are at the top of the list but this does not mean all Pit Bulls are dangerous killers. I personally know many Pit Bulls, and other than myself, they are the most loving animals I have ever met. The information I am about to give you comes from the Center of Disease Control and covers the years 1979-1996. Look at this information with an open mind and do not condemn any animal because its breed is listed here. That would be the same as me saying that because there are humans that are murderers, that all humans must therefore have murder on their minds.

Breeds involved in dog bite-related fatalities 1979-1996:

Breed	Total Fatalities
Pit Bull and crosses	70
Rottweiler and crosses	32
Shepherd and crosses	30
Husky and crosses	20
Malamute and crosses	15
Wolf Hybrid	14
Chow and crosses	11
Doberman	8
Great Dane	6
St. Bernard	4
Akita	4

Using fatality data in combination with estimates of the numbers of individual animals for each breed, Cliff Mortimer of Guardians of Wildlife has compiled statistics for each breed to give a "per capita" estimate of attack likelihood. He used the lowest Humane Society of the United States, (HSUS), estimate for wolf hybrid numbers in the US (300,000). Many HSUS estimates put the number of wolf hybrids at 1.5 million or more so this 300,000 estimate is the most conservative and gives the highest "per capita" attack rate. All other breed numbers were taken from the American Kennel Club population estimates for registered and unregistered animals. The numbers reflect the percent of the individuals in a breed that have been involved in a fatal attack per year.

Breed	Percent Fatalities	Fatalities/year per 100,000 animals
Pit Bull	0.35%	350
Husky	0.0012%	1.2
Malamute	0.0007%	0.7
German Shepherd	0.0005%	0.5
Rottweiler	0.0003%	0.3
Wolf Hybrid	0.00025%	0.25

As you can see from these charts, even using the lowest most conservative figures, the facts are that wolfdogs are not the dangerous animals that many would like you to believe. Again I caution you not to categorize or generalize about any animal because of its breed. An animal will be a product of its environment. There can be exceptions to every rule, but in general if you treat your companion animal with the respect it deserves, with love, and with positive reinforcement and discipline, then you can avoid future problems. Responsible ownership is the key to a healthy and happy relationship with any breed of animal.

Cheyenne