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I came across this article online today about a pack of “wild dogs” that have been having a killing spree since March. Included in the story is a photo from a security camera. Is it just me, or does the “dog” featured in the image not look like an ordinary dog? Coydog? Wolfdog?
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110610/ap_on_re_us/us_roving_dog_packHe’s more dog than anything else, possibly shepherd/husky. Something about the shape of his head. I wouldn’t say he’s not got a drop or two of wolf blood though.
I saw that . They look like cross breeds with wolves . Scary thing to have around attacking animals . If they run into a child … nightmare .
I definitely don’t think that they’re full-blooded wolf or coyote. That head doesn’t look right for either a dog or a wild canid. Something in between. And Sasha’s right, this could be very bad if the pack comes across a child, or even an adult. If they’re capable of killing largish livestock, they’re capable of taking down a good-sized adult human.
Edited to add:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43384182/ns/local_news-spokane_wa/Looks like they aren’t/weren’t afraid to go after an adult human.
I saw this on a chicken forum I use. The truth is that we can only speculate– I know of dogs that are 100% dog that look like coyotes or wolves. People used to mistake our GSD/Husky mix with a wolf all the time and he didn’t look very wolfish to me. Without doing a genetics test on the dogs it’s impossible to know.
It is entirely possible they have wolf/coyote/whatever in their blood.
It is also entirely possible that they are completely dog, and are simply having a good time.What matters is that most dogs can and will do this if they get into a pack without guidance and without intervention. What is perhaps the most alarming is that beloved pets can do this– even dogs that act in a perfectly acceptable way at home. Myself and a friend have witnessed first hand that house-dogs when let out at night can form a pack and there is a total psychological shift for the animals.
In all, it is a lesson in pet responsibility. Animals always end up paying for our mistakes.
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My art: featherdust.comPeople seem to forget that dogs are predators. Most dog breeds we have today originated as a hunters or hunting aids of some sort. Even dog breeds you would not think of, like poodles and dachshunds. The dog in the photo could have a smidge of wolf or coyote, but impossible to tell from a single tiny photo. More likely just a husky-mix mutt. Feral dogs account for more dead livestock than any other 4-legged predator.
Not saying it’s a good thing to have dogs killing livestock, but in reality its a very natural thing for dogs to do. I’m sure many here have dogs that would kill a cat, a squirrel, a possum… Killing livestock is the exact same instincts playing out, just on larger prey. These dogs ARE ordinary dogs, just ones that have gotten really good at taking large prey. Most large dogs cant hunt large prey because they are living in a home setting with no free access to livestock, or they were raised with livestock so they don’t see them as prey.
Sorry, just tired of all the hype that surrounds dogs when they start acting like dogs. People treat feral dogs like they are these bloodthirsty killing machines, but they are just dogs.. acting like dogs… It IS a dangerous situation of course IF the dogs become human aggressive or see children as prey, but they are still animals, not monsters. They have emotions and lives, they feel pain, fear, comfort, and happiness just like tame pet dogs do.
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