A large wolf dog named Dakota has not only changed his attitude he’s changed the canine dynamic in his neighborhood. Recently, Kim with Arctic Fox Daily Wildlife Rescue got a call from the New York Department of Environmental Conservation saying they were about to confiscate a group of wolf dogs from a hoarding situation and asked her if she had room for Dakota.
Arctic Fox Daily Wildlife Rescue is a forever sanctuary for captive bread non-releasable foxes and wolf dogs. At the time she did not have a lot of experience with wolf dogs but she agreed to house Dakota temporarily.
Kim had been told that Dakota was “aggressive” but from the moment he entered her sanctuary he knew he was entering a “new level of freedom.” Although Kim was nervous of such a large animal when he first arrived, Dakota now jumps up to give her kisses.
Within a few months, Kim formed a close bond with Dakota so much so that she decided to keep him permanently and made a special enclosure for wolf dogs and rescued some more.
Kim says that Dakota was very rude and naughty when she first got him. She learned that he had been used in a kind of roadside zoo and people used to pay to see him.
Kim notes that he’s definitely alpha in her wolf dog pack and has 55% of grey wolf 45% dog heritage but Kim says that she’s observed that the higher percent of wolf doesn’t necessarily translate into more aggression. In fact, in her experience, the less wolf the more aggression.
Since arriving at her sanctuary, Dakota has changed the neighborhood too. Her dad told her that the canine dynamic on the road has completely changed and now all the neighboring dogs howl when they hear the wolf dogs howl!
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