Posted on 07/18/2006 7:25:28 AM PDT by Mr. Brightside
Westmoreland woman found dead in wolf pen
Wolf hybrids killed
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Humane agents warned a Westmoreland County woman it was only a matter of time before the wolf hybrids she kept as pets turned on her.
Authorities are trying to determine if the pets attacked and killed Sandra L. Piovesan, whose body was found mauled in the fenced pen where the hybrids were housed...
Piovesan, who lived alone, had raised and bred wolf hybrids for several years, sometimes drawing complaints from neighbors.
"Everybody told her this would happen, but she just wouldn't listen. She was a very likable person, but she was just delusional about their danger, and totally misguided."
Wolves in the wild fear people because humans are their only predators, said James Paulson, outreach coordinator with Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary in New Mexico. But wolf hybrids are more dangerous than wild wolves because they don't fear humans, Gower said...
State police Trooper Brian Gross said Piovesan's body was mauled "pretty bad" by the hybrids.
Gross said humane officers tranquilized the six animals before troopers shot and killed them...
She sometimes kept nearly a dozen wolf hybrids and occasionally invited visitors inside the pen to see them. She built a playground with tunnels and climbing stations for the animals.
Wolf hybrids do not make good pets, experts say...
"She loved those wolves just like pets. She told me she was part American Indian, and she told me it was part of her ethnic background," said Brian Gallagher, a longtime friend.
"They were all one pack ... including Sandra, who was considered the leader of the pack. I think one of them may have wanted to take over as leader of the pack." ...
Gieselman said Piovesan fed the hybrids roadkill.
(Excerpt) Read more at pittsburghlive.com ...
"I think one of them may have wanted to take over as leader of the pack."
Ya THINK? What a horrible way to go. I don't think my dogs would kill me on purpose, though they have given me a nice shiner (we butted heads) and a few scrapes and bruises over the years from being underfoot.
I don't think I could handle a wolf-dog, myself. I need DH to muscle the Lab when it's time to go to the vet, LOL! The Basset loves the vet; he's King For A Day when he's there. ;)
What dog are they usually mixed with to make them hybrid? Is it any dog/wolf combo--or a specific dog or what?
I think we found next years Darwin Award winner.
Are you sure it was really a wolf hybrid? Unscrupulous folks do breed crosses with northern breeds to have that wolfy look but still dog temperments) and sell them to the unsuspecting.
susie
The only thing I know is that they eat less food and create less emissions. So they are good for the environment.
But you have to plug them in all night to make sure they are charged for the next day.
Mostly I hear of either malmute or GSD mixes, mainly because they want to keep that wolfy look.
susie
I do believe this was a genuine wolf hybrid. When I first saw the dog, I said to him that he looked an awful lot like a wolf. I have no reason to doubt him, old dude living on the Navajo Res. FWIW, I googled wolf hybrid and there are a lot of people selling the puppies!
I figured either GSD or husky. My babysitter's neighbor owns one. I've never even met or seen it, just heard about it.
You know, I have hear that too. But I've heard they have several drawbacks to them.
Their owners tend to be incredibly smug, often congregating in areas like San Francisco, and that they're not as reliable as regular dogs--instead they can sometimes stall during long walks for no reason. They just conk out, something to do with the wolf to dog-power conversion or something (I'm not one of those science types).
Oh, and emergency vets say they don't like to work on them, something about the jaws of life causing big electrical shocks... ;-)
Had my truck washed a couple of weeks by one of those youth church/sports groups that set up in some business parking lot on a Saturday morning. Had my 20-pound terrier mix dog with me on a leash. Some dude with a 120-lb wolf-hybrid (he claims) comes up and has his dog on a leash too. Letting the 4 and 5 year old kids pet her, says she's friendly. I keep mine away from her. One girl about 8 reaches down to pet my dog and the w-h, which had gotten close to her when the owner turned his back, attacked her. Not too much damage, scratches and didn't break the skin. Owner says he "has problems" with her and that she is jealous of attention given any other dog. I wonder how long it will be before he has real problems with her.
http://www.wolfpark.org/wolfdogs/Poster_section3.html
Check about halfway down the page, under Wolves Without Wolf.
It's actually a really interesting website, if you have the time to check out the rest of it.
susie
They are quite faddish right now. My nephew got one, not sure if he still has it. I suspect that most do not stay in the orignal home and end up either euthanized, going from home to home or (the lucky ones) in a sanctuary of some sort.
Most people can't tell the difference between a wolf and some of the northern breeds, so if they like that look, I don't know why they don't just get one of those. Heck, many of THOSE breeds are not the easiest dogs to live with!
susie
lol, hot tea does not exit nasal passages pleasantly
Indians killed wolfs whenever they could. They were competition for food, plus they would attack children. The old saw about no documented wolf attacks on the US continent is so much BS. In Europe wolf attacks were very common in the winter, the European wolf is the same animal that roams here in the US, why would the ones here not attack people and the ones in Europe attack them? The answer is simple: Enviros lie about things, yes, I know it is hard to believe but true none the less.
Where do you get your information?
Indians did not kill wolves whenever they could. In fact, many considered wolves to be their brothers.
The European wolf is not the same as the ones in North America.
Lady, never lead.
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