Dogs are dogs and wolves are wolves. Except when they aren't!
Most scientists now agree that the dog is a subspecies of wolf Canis lupus familiaris. And while most wolves look and act differently from most dogs, it can be very hard to make accurate identifications, especially since wolves and dogs can and do interbreed and certain breeds of dogs look and act a lot like wolves. Having spent years employed at Wolf Park, in Indiana, authors Jessica Addams and Andrew Miller have encountered hundreds of so-called wolves that turned out to be dogs, hybrids that exhibit the characteristics of both wolves and dogs, and even pure wolves that act like dogs. Between Dog and Wolf takes a fascinating look at how wolves and dogs are related, why they can be so hard to tell apart and what rescue organizations need to know when they encounter a canine of unknown origins.
You will learn:
How and why there are so many misconceptions about wolf behavior.
What evolutionary forces turned good social hunters (wolves) into animals whose key adaptation was to become good with people (dogs).
Which physical and behavioral characteristics displayed by an animal tend to indicate it's a dog vs. a wolf usually!
The state of DNA testing and what it can and can't tell you about the genetic make-up of dogs and wolves.
Praise for Between Dog and Wolf
Well written, thoroughly researched and grounded in science, this book is a must-read for all shelter personnel, as well as anyone who wants a deeper insight into the often misunderstood animals known as wolfdogs.
Nicole Wilde, author Living with Wolfdogs and Wolfdogs A-Z
Intelligently written, good style, and based on an enlightened experience This could be the best dog/wolf book ever written.
Ray Coppinger, co-author Dogs: A New Understanding of Canine Origin, Behavior and Evolution
Animal shelters have to make triage decisions all the time with wolf dog hybrids which are usually deemed defacto too dangerous and euthanized unless they can be quickly placed with a qualified hybrid rescue. Addams and Miller provide a book which provides shelter workers the necessary background on behavior traits and guidelines so that decisions can be based on the behavior of the animals in front of them rather than on a questionable label that merely refers to their supposed ancestry. This book gives shelters tools to make humane decisions about animals turned in as wolf dog hybrids.
Pat Goodmann, M.S., has worked with Wolf Park's wolves since 1974, plays a primary role in teaching Wolf Park's seminars, and guides its behavioral research program.
Jessica Addams and Andrew Miller have nearly twenty years of collective work at Wolf Park, a non-profit education and research facility in Battle Ground, Indiana. Both started as visitors, moved up to long-term internships, and eventually became full-time staff. Besides working with wolves, they have always been involved with animals and the study of animal behavior. Their degrees are in biology and wildlife science. Jessica and Andrew own and train their own dogs and other pets, and read
