This story must be told, so that others might not suffer the burden of responsibility. When you have to make a decision such as this...it stays with you forever. No matter how right it was, it still hurts.

I had dogs most of my life so I thought I was ready for a wolf dog. I joined an e-mail list so that I could educate myself about them and so people in the wolf dog community could know me and trust me. Possibly trust me with one of their wolf dog pups… I won't mention any names here, because it isn't really necessary. The events are most important.

I had been on this list for about 6 months and had a Golden lab at home along with a Samoyed. I also have 4 children ages ranged then from 3 months to 11 years old.

One day someone announced they had puppies for sale on this list. The pups were Husky/Mal/GSD mixed. Being very new to wolf-dogs a Husky/Mal mix was the best for me. The pups were born 1 week after my youngest. Birthdays so close, I thought it was meant to be, that this animal should come to my family to be our guardian.

He finally arrived, a skinny frightened four month old puppy. We named him Anoki. It had been a very long journey for him from Arizona but he made it safely. He grew with us and became our best friend. He liked the baby best of all. Anoki was always there to guard her even at a young age. I didn't think anything was wrong with him guarding us so protectively. Anoki was like the best dog, he made sure we were all safe and frequently followed me through the house.

 

Anoki was a happy and loving animal in the beginning. He was a little high strung, didn't like to be hugged but otherwise was a very nice dog. Anoki changed for reasons I will never know. I noticed little things when he became age 2, like growling at people he had met before. It got to the point where he had to be separated from them. That was managable, just keep him away from them....I didn't know there was any serious problem. When I would take him to the vet he locked his gaze always, never looking down. The vet asked frequently how he was with the children and the answer was always "fine"...because he was good with the kids. Then one day, Anoki bit my youngest on the face where she now has a permanent scar. The children he had protected had become a nuisance. There was no reason for him to do what he did. My children were never cruel to him, that was behavior that was just not permitted. The baby was hugging his neck and I was right there when he did it. She had many times hugged him in the past and got kisses. I was horrified when I saw blood running down her face. All I could think to do was remove the animal from the area, quickly.

Anoki's behavior did not just change overnight. There were indications even from puppy hood this would happen. Indications that he was not mentally sound. I did not recognize these markers because I had never had an overly aggressive dog before. I had a GSD that I had trained when I was 14 years old. His recall was excellent but I had never had any experience with Northern breed dogs(I'm not saying northern breeds become aggressive but they do have a more independant nature,what they were bred for. They can be aloof). I made excuse after excuse for this animals behavior and protected him. When his aggression turned on my children I could no longer protect him.

Finally Anoki got so bad that he had to be muzzled in the home with us. Just a pat on the head from one of the children would be met with a snarl and a nip. It was more painful for me to confine him and see him suffering. He did not belong confined, he needed to be free.

I set him free, December 10th 2003 at 11:00 am. That day, I took him to the vet for the last time. The vet gave him a sedative and Anoki growled and knocked us both off our feet. I still remember it like it was yesterday. I was afraid of my dog, I couldn't even hold him because I was afraid! All I could do was pat his head.

One or both of Anoki's parents had a bad temperament in their line. Anoki was a product of a back yard breeder, wanting to earn some extra cash. This breeder did not research the animals involved in the breeding and Anoki was the result. A time bomb sent to live with my family.

Out of Anoki's litter there were several siblings. Where are they now, and did their owners have to come to the same decision?

Some had told me to send him elsewhere, but where? Who would have been willing to take in this animal? Could I be held liable for his behavior if I passed him to someone else? A dog behavior therapist suggested rehoming him but not telling the new owners about his past aggression. Instead of passing off my problem to someone else, I did the responsible thing and stand by my decision. I believe that day I saved someone's life. Maybe the life of my child...maybe I saved your child ?

This in short, is his story. Anoki was not a happy animal. I would watch him give kisses and one minute later growl and nip. Vet tests left us clueless ..mentall illness was the only conclusion.

I will never forget Anoki and can never replace him, he was my best friend. It's a hole that will never be filled.

Anne Rainwater December 6, 2004

 

 

I got the background for this page from Spirit Wolf's background collection. She has some very nice one's there.