Meet Zeus... A high content wolf dog.
I photographed him a year ago in the winter (on my m43 kit). I revisited the area to try and shoot him again this year and learnt a lot more about him from a resident wolf and wolf dog handler. I had mistakenly thought that he was 100% wolf previously. Not the case.
While he has almost all the physical and personality traits of a 100% genetic wolf, at some point in his genetics there is some mix with a domestic dog - thus differentiating him from a 100% wolf. However, wolf genetics have come to the forefront both in physicality and personality and for all intents and purposes he looks, behaves and needs to be treated like a real wolf.
Depending on the animals wolf dogs , wolf dog hybrids etc... are considered to be low, mid or high content as it is a more accurate description rather than saying strict percentages.
He is very much a wild animal and as far removed from a domestic dog like a German shepherd, rottweiler as the domestic cat is removed from the Tiger.
Physically there can be no questions - he is much larger than a domestic dog. These characteristics continue through to his almond shaped yellow eyes, a thick winter coat and large canine teeth. His bite is many times stronger than a domestic dog and in the wild he is fertile for only 3 months of the year (like most wolves), to prevent offspring from being born during the colder months when they would not have as much chance surviving.
From a personality perspective he is nervous and avoids contact with humans at all costs (he has a human handler so has very limited human interaction). Any interaction with humans boils down to two things for him - reward for food VS risk. He doesn't crave, want or need human affection - eschewing affection for a place within his pack, for which he is pack leader. This is a wild animal.
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On the prowl by
tom.ohle, on Flickr
Currently the Albertan goverment is destroying wild wolves and wolf dogs as the native carribou population diminishes due to deforestation and habitat loss to human environment expansion, oil drilling etc...
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2015/02/11/alberta-wolf-cull_n_6662936.html