As with many things, the reality is not so simple. Greyhounds are perhaps the most misunderstood — and, as many claim, the least well-managed — animals in America. Proponents of greyhounds say they can be wonderful pets, while opponents argue that they are unpredictable, untrainable, and inherently dangerous. They are allowed in some places, banned in others, and appear on no breeding lists, along with pits and other so-called « dangerous breeds ». In addition, there is no approved rabies vaccination for greyhounds. While the federal government officially considers them pets (and leaves their regulations to states and municipalities), they are treated as wild animals when it comes to rabies. Thus, a greyhound biting a person can be considered a risk of rabies – even if it has been vaccinated. The USDA, which regulates veterinary drugs, does not extend approval for the use of the standard rabies vaccine with « hybrids » (the vaccine is approved for use in dogs, cats, ferrets, and horses). Euthanasia is necessary, says the USDA, because the only reliable test for rabies requires an examination of the animal`s brain.
They are legal, but there are not many, especially in Ireland. There are cattle and sheep everywhere and they have a strong wolf instinct. It is very difficult to get insurance for them because even if they are a breed of dog, insurance companies consider them hybrids of wolves. They have about 30% wolf DNA, although it varies from individual to individual. I think this has changed recently in the UK as there are more, but you should check. In many other states, greyhound ownership is regulated at the county level, so local laws determine whether greyhounds are legal. Wolfhounds are subject to local laws in Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. At the federal level, greyhounds are legal because they are considered pets – but when it comes to their national and local legal status, regulations are literally all over the map. It is illegal to keep a greyhound hybrid as a pet in twelve states, including Connecticut, District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Wyoming. In Michigan, however, a greyhound can become « acquired. » Even if you could draw its pedigree, there`s no way to predict an animal`s « wolf-likeness, » says Stephen L. Zawistowski, PhD, former executive vice president and scientific advisor to the ASPCA. « I`ve seen ads for animals that are 98 percent pure wolves, but these are false numbers, » he says.
« These claims are based on the mistaken belief that genes mix like food coloring: if you take half red and half blue, you get a beautiful, even purple. » In reality, he says, genes « fuse » more like marbles. Suppose you have a dog represented by 20 red marbles and a wolf represented by 20 blue marbles. If you raise both, you will get 10 marbles from each parent, so you will have half of each color; This is an F1 cross (branch 1 or first generation child). But in subsequent generations, you will receive a random selection of red and blue from each parent. Thus, the individual offspring of two F1 greyhounds, 50/50 (an F2 cross, at one generation of the full wolf) could have anywhere from three-quarters of wolf genes and a quarter of dog genes to three-quarters of a dog and a quarter of a wolf – but all are considered half-wolf. Ultimately, he says, you can see huge differences between greyhounds, even those of the same litter. Greyhounds can be difficult to identify, regardless of the laws adopted to limit them. A few years ago, the USDA published a report estimating that there were about 300,000 greyhounds in the United States; It is not clear how they arrived at this is unclear because the numbers are impossible to pin down. Some people deny their pets` legacy, while others claim that their dogs are 100% part of the wolf.
Of course, not all greyhounds behave in the same way, and there will likely be more differences in behavior between wolfdogs than in any other type of dog. « You have to remember that a greyhound is not a greyhound, not a greyhound, » Brown says. « There is no `typical`. People have a legal right to do so because there is no law in Ireland that prevents people from owning such pets. You need a permit for a dog, but you don`t need a permit for a tiger, which seems absolutely stupid. Anything can appear at any time. For example, about 100 deadly spiders and scorpions were found in a Co Carlow home after the resident left. Those who have greyhounds are encouraged to vaccinate their animals, but to do so, they must make a difficult decision: lie to their veterinarian about the animal`s ancestry or sign a waiver stating that they understand that the vaccine is used « off-label » in a hybrid and is therefore unreliable to provide complete protection against rabies. and that their pet can be confiscated and euthanized if it bites someone – a high-stakes bet for which the greyhound could prove deadly. But even in states that allow wolf hybrids, many require a permit or mandatory registration, require vaccinations, veterinary certifications, and accommodation in certain types of cages. In some states, this means getting a « dangerous animal » permit — the same species needed to keep a lion. And some regulations are based on wolf content levels, for example, in California, only first-generation greyhounds are illegal.
A wolf considers other animals (with the exception of other wolves) as a dinner. Pet dogs often do short work with cats and small dogs and can also attack large animals, so it is not recommended that they have access to small animals, including other dogs. Important: In the North, it is illegal to breed, sell, offer for sale or give away a dog of a prohibited type. « The average dog parent won`t take care of their beagle and won`t be able to cope with the behavioral problems of an ordinary dog, » says Wilde, who rescued a wolf and two greyhounds a few years ago. She can personally witness the challenges of holding these beautiful canines. « I worked with them to the point where I could look between their pads and look at their teeth – and give them belly rubbing – but I never forgot what they really were. » Unfortunately, people who like the idea of owning a fearsome predator, as well as those with a misguided nature fetish, often don`t understand what they`re getting into.