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I am at fault for this. If I had thought more about this in a more logical way I wouldn't have made this error in judgement.
Since our dog Cinders (see pictures of Black and Tan Cavalier King Charles Spaniel in my photos) passed away my daughter has wanted another dog. I had thought with us being two females living alone it would be a good idea to get a BIG dog.
I was checking out Craigslist and found someone needed to re-home a 4 year old German Shepherd. There was a picture of her with 4-5 children. I spoke with the owner and she said they had cats and always had since they had Kira so she was used to them. She also loved the 5 children this woman had and the other children in the neighborhood.
What she failed to mention is that Kira is not fixed, Kira's Father was 25% German Shepherd and 75% Timber Wolf, they had intended to breed her but never did. I did a little reading afterward that these crosses are done in order to have a dog with the attributes of a Shepherd but with no problems such as hip displasia.
She is also already VERY protective of my daughter and I. To the point that where Kira has a fit in the morning when Diane goes to school. However its gone further then this. On the occasions when my daughter and I have to go somewhere together and we can't take Kira like grocery shopping, things have gotten worse. Its FAR to hot here in Florida to take a dog and leave it in the car even in the evenings, at least in my opinion.
On three occasions when my daughter and I have left her at home, she has gotten out. On one occasion the windows across the front of the house were left open and she pushed the screen out, only after taking a bite out of it. The second occasion we lowered the windows to a crack to get some air as my AC is broken but its still in the 80s here in Florida. Kira simply raised the window with her nose and pushed the same screen out. Then tonight, we had accidentally left a window open in the craft room, she took a HUGE bite out of this one also and when we came home we found her in the street.
OH and the cats...she loves to terrorize them. She purposely goes after them and terrorizes them. These are cats who are used to small dogs but nothing like they are facing with Kira. Take a look in the Cat section, I started a thread about how I am fostering some cats. To be honest I have lost track of how many cats we have. I had 5, then one died. Then came Keeko, her 5 babies and two babies from a litter in April. The only cats that don't seem terrified of her are the babies. They have sorted out that she isn't going to eat them. She will actually lick the babies if given the opportunity. Keeko the Mother on the other hand, scrawny as she is, will attack Kira, she will seek her out and lunge at her. She is every inch the Mother Bear.
You might also look in the Health section where I have contributed to a very long standing thread about anxiety. I take medication for it, see a counselor for it and a psychiatrist. I am about to loose it completely with all of this going on.
I'm honestly afraid she could go through the glass windows.
We have a crate for her, I found one large enough for her on Craigslist, we washed it up for her tonight and will put it together in the morning and see if that works. I was told she doesn't like crates however this is my last chance with her. I can't have her running around the house wrecking destruction when we are not home.
OH did I mention that my daughter didn't put all the groceries away and she ate 3/4 of a beef stick this evening??
I can tell that someone has beaten this dog by her reaction, I believe there has been alot of yelling at this dog as well.
On one occasion we took Kira with us up to the pool after dark. Your not supposed to be up there after dark and your NEVER supposed to have a dog with you. Well rules were meant to be broken. Kira ran around, play tag with us a little because she is not fond of the water. We would swim towards her and she would almost let us touch her and then she would dash off again. It was like a game.
As we were leaving she slipped her collar and ran off. She needs a harness, these people didn't even give me a leash for this dog. Nevermind the fact that she is SO strong its unbelievable.
I did take her with me to a friends shop who sells used and antique furniture. She met everyone there and behaved just fine.
I think I am in WAY over my head here. I am not equipped to handle with this dog needs. If she chews her way out of this crate which I suspect she can do, I will have to get rid of her, find a German Shepherd rescue in the area. Oh and I was told she doesn't like crates. Not sure what that means though.
If I do get rid of her, my daughter will be heartbroken.
When I am really anxious, stupid things occur to me, I actually thought about giving her some of my Clonazepam. Its clear she is anxious, I just don't know what to do with her.
She likes to sleep in the bed with us, she will sleep right between my daughter and I, until I realized she was covered in fleas that is, another thing the previous owners forgot to mention.
I am awake at this ungodly hour because I am worried to death about this. I think I will set up the crate and see how that goes. If we can contain her then that will be a step in the right direction.
Anyone out there who owns big dogs have any advice to offer?
Before you say I should take her to some training classes, I don't have the money for that. Which of course begs the question why I adopted a large dog which is so expensive to take care of to begin with.
My only answer is that I took temporary leave of my senses.
You need to find a rescue in your area. Both you and the dog need to be 'trained'. I've found that dog training classes are actually there to train the owner, the dogs get the treats though.
I would be very concerned about taking on a dog with that much wolf in it.
Hybrids are very unpredictable and the second generation more so than the first. It has also been a failed experiment done by both the US and Eastern Bloc military that was abandoned - ; these crosses are NOT good and, as you are finding out can be quite a challenge and as you are finding, this is not your typical dog.
Then call a wolf rescue; the GSD rescue may help but I doubt they will take this dog. Break your daughter's heart for this one.
go to leerburg.com and read up on wolf hybrids if you have any doubts. Leerburg
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Oh, the crates. Most GSDs are fully capable of ripping a crate to shreds - it is only a psychological barrier. I saw one tear a good wire crate to pieces in 15 seconds [while we were frantically tring to get the owner at a dog training event]. Wolf is smarter and has more powerfrul jaws. The working dog people and military use these kind of crates I have a working line GSD and he is fine with a normal crate but some are not.
http://elitek9.com/Crates/index.htm (broken link)
Last edited by grannynancy; 10-28-2009 at 05:05 AM..
I agree with Grannynancy. Unless you have a lot of commitment and loads of time to devote to a wolf hybrid you are destined to have problems. They have a reputation for testing their owners for dominance and a high predator-prey drive, meaning they will chase smaller animals.
I'd be willing to bet that that is why she needed to be re-homed. Speak to someone in wolf-hybrid rescue and they can advise you as to the best situation for you and your dog. Perhaps a different breed would be a better fit.
You are correct..You are in way over your head. A wolf =hybrid is work... alot of work. There is a sanctuary in Naples...not all that far from you. My daughter has visited it, as she has a 5 month wolf -hybrid. She is well versed in training...as she as worked with tigers and bears...and even this pup is a challenge for her. This is her back-up plan should something happen that she can not handle her girl. Contact them...it they can not help, they may be able to direct you elsewhere. Shy Wolf Sanctuary, Education and Experience Center, Inc.
I concur about this being too much work for you. Even if you could take her in the car, there are so many things that could go wrong with that scenario.
I have a GSD who is VERY loyal--many of the behaviors that you are describing remind me of her, and she has no wolf in her; I can only imagine how loyal and protective your dog is.
I guess the shelters are your best option, although I actually think that with a lot of training, this dog could be the best thing that ever happened to you. But I also know that can be expensive. However, if you were able to find a reasonable and effective trainer, I think that you would see a dramatic change.
StarlaJane --- Please don't refer her to a SHELTER. She needs to find a BREED SPECIFIC RESCUE. There's a huge difference between the two.
To the OP, you might not have the money for a trainer, but it's possible that a rescue network might help you train your dog to help you keep your dog.
I would be very concerned about taking on a dog with that much wolf in it.
Hybrids are very unpredictable and the second generation more so than the first. It has also been a failed experiment done by both the US and Eastern Bloc military that was abandoned - ; these crosses are NOT good and, as you are finding out can be quite a challenge and as you are finding, this is not your typical dog.
Then call a wolf rescue; the GSD rescue may help but I doubt they will take this dog. Break your daughter's heart for this one.
go to leerburg.com and read up on wolf hybrids if you have any doubts.
Ditto. In spades. Granny's said all that needs to be said.
OP - I think you're fully aware this isn't going to work. The more quickly you set about finding a suitable place for this animal (and you are quite correct, a tropical climate is not one of them), the better for ALL concerned.
I think the tropical climate is much less of a problem than her breeding.
Red Wolves live in northern Florida--different sub-species, but not very much so.
Over the years, I have known many, many wolf-hybrids (they were quite popular in Colorado, I think they are now outlawed, at least in Denver) and most of them have very sad stories.
Some turn out okay, but your hands are too full.
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