Originally published in Quora by Ken Sutterby
NO!!!!! Don't do it. Never, ever, never. I'd swear some but I think you get the point. I owned a timber wolf once. Named him Meiko, after the Disney movie, Pocahontas. And he was an amazing, powerful, deadly, loving creature. BUT NOT A DOG. If someone gave me another I would really have to think about it. Amazing creature, most efficient killing machine I have ever watched. Silent, stealthy, tiptoe through the tulips-literally!
I didn't realize the needs he had, looks like a dog right? WRONG. Doesn't even look like dog if you open your eyes. Taller, longer, big head, long tail. I'm 6′6″ tall. He would stand up, put his paws on my shoulders and lick my face. I did not bend over for him to do that. I would go to Wal-Mart and buy him kiddy pools -the 8′ model, two or three a year. Why so many? Cause he liked to drag them with his teeth - full of water. Not a couple of inches I mean full - 8 to 10 inches.
I originally tried to keep him in the house. Until one night my first wife and I woke to this loud thud. Half minute later another thud, for a few minutes. Ok what the hell is that. When I found him, I watched him repeat his process over and over. He was about 3 months old. He had nails about as good as a cat. He was climbing a recliner onto the seat then up the back. Once on top he would launch himself at a 10 foot window - thud, over and over. So we decided he needed to live outside, which he did like.
While his outdoor life suited him better, what I could provide was not ideal for him. I got him a house and he lived on a 100 foot cable trolley run. Until he proved he just could not stay untangled, and tried to chew his foot off. Fortunately my mother found him and got him undone, but not before she was badly bitten. Ever try to help a wounded animal? They think you’re trying to kill them. So he got a shorter single piece cable 21′ which gave him a 40' circle. This is no life for a wolf. So now he has little room to move - got to get him some exercise. Get the golf cart and leash, take him for a run. Wasn't fast enough, he would pull my arm off. Ok let's try a car. This works out pretty good. Thankfully, I live on a quiet road with my name on it. I can drive down the wrong side with my arm out the window holding the leash, so he could run in the grass. Every day twice a day, half a mile turn around at my sister's come back. In cool weather we could do 1.5 mile. The first half mile was always sketchy, 20 to 25 mph. The fastest he ever ran was 28. Even then he still had a little more cause he still kept tension on the leash. The return trip was slow cause you had to stop and smell.
Food, lots of food. Special food that we could only get through a farm Purina dealer. And meat. Steaks, chickens, pork, he didn't care, just not fish. Oh and woodchuck, he loved woodchuck. But it had to be 15 minute fresh. If you hit a woodchuck with your vehicle within 15 minutes of home he would eat it. Any older he would let it rot. Wouldn't touch a squirrel but he loved to kill opossum, and cats. Never hurt the cats he grew up with, but every time his cable broke, first place to look was at the neighbors farm cleaning up cats. I think he would actually bury his dog food to attract other animals so he could kill them. I can't count the possums, woodchuck, 3 skunks and he never got sprayed, and a zillion rats. Very stealthy creature. Like I said most efficient killing machine I've ever watched. We tried a bunch of different food bowls, eventually settled into a hard plastic about ten inch, which he would destroy over time or bury, so we always had three in rotation. And a 3.5 gallon galvanized metal water bucket. Which he would try to kill. I found marks in them from his teeth. I'm not kidding - literally dent the metal.
Dog house and cable. Had a friend that had this huge dog house for 5 Rottweilers. They died off so it was empty, so Meiko inherited it. 10′ x 16'. 4 foot wall with peaked 7 foot roof. Took 6 bails of straw to fill it right, twice a year. Unfortunately he liked to live under it more than in it. He would also use the roof as a step to get on top of the shipping container which was right against his house. Every year he would break two cables. 5/16″ stainless cable, tried a bunch of different latches. He would do one of three things. Either get a loop in the cable and kink it, which then over time would break. Or break the latch. Or during the winter, sleep on it just right - it would freeze open and fall off. Learned to always have a spare cable.
Snow. He loved the snow. I would plow all the snow I could right into his circle. He loved it. Gave him mountains to climb and dig in. When there was enough snow he slept in caves he dug. And then you get the brilliant idea, Hey I've got a sled dog, let's try this. So you go get a plastic sled. And get him on his leash. And he pulls an inch and the sled makes that typical noise, and you take off like all hell. Only problem is he is scared to death, and you’ve gone nowhere. Cause he is going around in a circle. Fast, wicked fast, totaled distance actually moved 5 feet.
So you wake up and your killing machine is gone, great. Or someone calls you at work. Hey I just saw Meiko go by, great. Or the farmer calls and says he is after the cats, great. Ever try to catch something that has been training to run 25 mph and can pull a kiddy pool full of water? Ya, that’s fun. Especially after the corn or wheat is 3' tall. Then you can't see him. Funny thing is he can't see either. So he starts to jump, over the crop so he can see. You eventually decide the best thing to do is give him 45 minutes to burn out. Then find him. And make sure he sees you. And sit down right there. Don't chase, that's a game. And he can do it for miles. Nope as long as he's seen you just sit down. He'll come and crawl and crawl. Until you can get a hold of his collar and get a leash on him.
Eyesight. Again has to do with killing machine. If I woke up in the morning and was very careful and quiet. I could get downstairs and to our backdoor without him noticing me. Then if I stood perfectly still he couldn't see me. So I could watch him act naturally. Cause the second he saw me he would quit doing whatever it was and be ready for breakfast. But wolves have this neat trick. If they can't see movement but think or smell something is there, they bob their head to make a false movement. This causes the shadows to change and then they can see you. Or their prey. It's pretty Jurassic parkish. Kind of freaky when he was loose and would mix this in with stealth.
Respect. He only ever respected 2 people. Me and my mother. Either of us could do anything with him. Walk in his circle, feed him, walk him, even the simple act of putting him on a leash was a dangerous if you weren't us. Inside my mother's house, not mine, just my mom's, just about anyone could touch him - that he allowed. If he didn't allow you were in trouble. On his cable, stay out, don't try it, you were gonna get bit. Only two people allowed in the circle. No one else. And nothing to be left in his circle either, unless you wanted it destroyed. Had a couple living with me. One day the guy leaves his car in the circle. I say you better move that. “Oh it will be fine”. Ok whatever. 15 minutes later the Wolf is on the hood ripping off the windshield wipers. He actually bent the metal arms. Another friend parks his truck in the circle - same guy that went with me to pick him up when I bought him. Again you better move that, nope, ok. 20 minutes later we’re inside, horn going off in the driveway. Meiko jumped through the open window, shredded the seat, got caught up in the steering wheel. And was stepping on the horn.
Furniture. Don't give them furniture or beds. They think the springs are mice.
Second wife and son. First thing he did was piss on her stuff when he got in the house. Friendly to her when inside, but no touch when out. Never trusted him very far with my son, but never saw any aggression toward him either.
Veterinarian. That's a fun memory. He loved car rides. Hated the vet. Took a couple tries but we developed a method. Vet would get everything ready, clear all appointments, I would walk him in, across the scale into the room. Vet would stick head in, ask if I was ready. Yep, game on. Since the animal trusted me I had about 5 seconds to tackle him. If I took to long he could see the action and become wary. And I would tackle him and the vet would poke, prod, and stab whatever was necessary. He would declare he was done. Everyone would clear the room. I had less time to move in a particular way to avoid the teeth than when I originally tackled him. One time vet forgot to tell me about his vacation. So we had a second vet that worked there but never saw the process. I asked are you ready? She said yes. I tackled him. And she just stood there. I said aren't you going to work. Nope, she didn't do anything. I don't know if she was scared or pissed, but we never saw her again.
Would I ever do it again. I've got to say I probably would. IF I HAD THE MONEY, LOTS OF MONEY. I burned his house when he died, so I would need a new one. That’s an easy $1000, and I would probably get a pre-made Amish shed. So more like $2500. Land, I still own the land so good there. But if you don't, you need a minimum of 5 acres, 10 would be better. Especially if you don't own the road. And no more cable. 12' of chain link fence on all 10 acres. With a bent back top. And a rock ditch so he couldn't dig under it. I own the equipment to build it. The materials would still cost me 30,000. And I'd have to really research a vet. I would need full notification of their vacations, and who their backup is. Also you need to find out if you need an agriculture permit to have a non pet animal. I got around that detail, but wouldn't go that way again. In the permit area you also need a relationship with your dog control officer, and knowing a game warden wouldn't hurt either. This is so that if either of them show up for a complaint against your animal they won't try to catch it. Just monitor and call you. And that they won't shoot it unless things are getting really bad. I had a lot of these things in place the first time because of who my mother is. She is the town clerk where we live, and thus responsible for dog licenses, and hunting licenses. Everyone knew us, everyone knew my “dog”, Meiko
Our lab Tiger, my sister's good boxer Duke, and Meiko.
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