Fundraiser Started For Duluth Area Dog Critically Injured From Porcupine Encounter

I'm A Vet Tech & Can Always Tell When A Dog Is Really A Wolf – They're Illegal But Owners Claim They're A Certain Breed

FROM Cockapoos to Labradoodles, dog owners have gone all-in on mixed breeds.

However, a vet tech shared the popular pet which is illegal in certain states.

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A vet tech revealed the easy way to spot if your wolf-dog mix is actually 100% wolf (stock photo)

Commenting on a Reddit post, user Isuzupup broke down the telltale sign that your pooch is actually a wolf in canine clothing.

The veterinary technician explained that some dog owners are convinced their pet is "part wolf" when it is often 100% wild animal.

When prompted to share the "most interesting dog breed" they had ever treated, the Redditor responded: "I guess a wolf."

They went on to explain the circumstances, clarifying that the animal was not even part canine.

"Like an actual wolf, which is illegal in my state," the veterinary professional said.

They revealed the best way to identify the wild animal from a dog-wolf mix.

"You can always tell if a dog is a wolf by the owner's willingness to tell you it's a wolf," they said.

"If they come in bragging that their dog is part wolf, I guarantee you it's like a husky shepherd Pitbull mix."

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However, if the owner is more vague about their pooch's DNA, it's likely not a dog at all.

" If they come in with a 'malamute' that doesn't look quite right, then you've got a wolf," the expert explained.

I'm a veterinarian and so sick and tired of so-called 'therapy dogs' – their owners are full of it, the biggest red flag

They joked about the interaction they often have with malamute owners.

"It's always 'He's a maaaalamute' while they slow-blink at me trying to figure out if I'm down or not, and I'm down," they said.

The vet shared a specific example from their time in the animal care industry.

"I had a neuro case for about five years that I loved dearly," the vet told their fellow social media users.

"His momma found him on a chain with a broken leg in South Dakota, stole him, and brought him home.

Signs your dog could turn dangerous

Expert advice from Dr. Sara Ochoa, who has been practicing veterinary medicine for over five years.

Ochoa told The U.S. Sun observing a dog's behavior can provide clues that they might act out.

"A dog that looks tense all over with its fur sticking up or teeth showing is more likely to snap," she said.

"Staring real hard without blinking could mean trouble too.

"Growling is also a warning the dog is getting mad."

She said dogs may tuck their tail between their legs when they feel scared or threatened.

"Staying calm and keeping space may help things not to escalate if a dog seems on edge," she said. 

"She was a badass and the wolf was an absolute angel."

The Redditor had another experience with a wolf-dog mix while working at a clinic.

"We had a wolf-dog that came in that was 75% wolf," they shared.

"That dog needed sedation for everything and eventually got euthanized for mauling one of the owners, luckily nobody died."

The canine professional encouraged any new dog owners to do their research before adding a furry friend to their home.

Owning a wolf in any state in the United States is illegal.

Canine expert, Windstone Editions

"Apparently, this was the first dog the owners ever had, [they] never even [had one] as a child before," they said.

The experts at Windstone Editions broke down the legal restrictions on owning a pure wolf versus a wolf-dog hybrid.

"Owning a wolf in any state in the United States is illegal," they explained.

"And owning a wolf-dog in most states is also illegal, or requires a permit."

While wolf-dogs are still allowed in certain states, the professionals shared some handy features to look for to identify the mix.

Read more on the Irish Sun

"Slim chest, slanted almond eyes, long paws, black claws, long snout, furry ears," they said.

"Even at low-content [of DNA] it is quite easy to tell these are wolfdogs." 

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The Reddit user joked that when owners refer to their dog as a 'malamute' it often has high levels of wolf DNA (stock photo)Credit: Getty

Silly Malamute Tries To Snuggle Mom But Gets More Than He Bargained For

There's nothing dogs like more than getting up in your personal space...Too close isn't close enough for them! Baby Luke is a Malamute puppy who loves to snuggle up with mom. In this video that mom posted at the beginning of May, he is trying to get mom's attention, and when he does, it's not because he's snuggling her!

The video shows Luke's mom on the edge of the couch, reading something on her phone. Luke is right up on top of her being a goofball...Just look at his cute face! He's standing on his head, bent in half. Watch what happens when he attempts to flip over onto his back - he's in for a big surprise!

I've watched this at least three times! It gets funnier every time I watch it. Luke's mom looks just as surprised as I'm sure he was. It's not surprising that the video went viral - it's been viewed more than 6.5 million times and has more than 4 thousand comments. @michelle pointed out, "I think someone was trying to get your attention!" @Le Dawg added, "Dogs are actual comedians LOL!" And I couldn't agree more when @nigeriacookedfood said, "Having a dog is like having a toddler forever!!!" It's so true!

Related: Alaskan Malamute Comes Inside to Check in with Mom Just Like a Human Kid Playing Outside

Most Alaskan Malamute owners will tell you that their dog is a big goof. Malamutes are known for their playful and friendly personalities and are very social. They love their humans (other animals not so much) and get along well with kids. Like Huskies, these dogs love to 'talk' as well as howl and bark. If you're looking for a chill, quiet dog, a Malamute is probably not for you.

Malamutes are a working breed, so that means they are high energy and like to stay busy. If they don't have things to do they get bored, and boredom leads to destruction. If your family is active, this is the perfect breed for you! If your family is more on the couch potato side of activity, skip bringing home a Malamute. These dogs have a dominant personality and are very intelligent. Training can be difficult because they like to be in charge, and they can be quite stubborn. They're also known for being escape artists, so a high and secure fence is a must.

Malamutes shed, and they shed a lot! They shed heavily throughout the year and twice a year they blow their coats and shed even more. These dogs require a lot of grooming to maintain their coats and you can expect to vacuum daily...Sometimes more than once a day.

Each dog breed comes with pros and cons. Make sure to do your research before bringing home a dog simply because it's cute. For me, this breed's cons far outweigh the pros, even if they are big ol' cute and goofy floofs.

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Dog DNA Company Insists Human DNA Is Actually Alaskan Malamute

An at-home DNA testing kit for dogs claimed that human saliva returned various dog breed results — and when pressed, the firm held firm.

As Boston's WBZ-TV reports, the Toronto-based DNA My Dog company told not one but two humans who sent cheek swabs in that their results contained dog DNA, calling into question the accuracy of its tests.

The dog DNA debacle began last fall, when the local broadcaster reported that a New Hampshire woman decided to do an informal experiment, sending in a sample from her own cheek saliva without telling the company just to see what would happen. The company claims it sequenced her genome and found that she was 28 percent bulldog, 40 percent border collie, and 32 percent cane corso.

When asked about the results, a DNA My Dog representative told WBZ-TV that one of the woman's two cheek swabs contained canine DNA — an eyebrow-raising claim — and the breakdown it supplied her with "would not be possible on a human sample."

To get to the bottom of the strange case of the woman with alleged dog DNA in her cheeks, the broadcaster decided to send in samples from one of its own human reporters to multiple companies including DNA My Dog. Although the others said there wasn't enough canine DNA to test, the Toronto-based firm had no problem sequencing the reporter's genome and supplying her employer with her breed results: 40 percent Alaskan Malamute, 35 percent shar-pei, and 25 percent labrador.

DNA My Dog failed to respond to WBZ's several entreaties. When Futurism reached out to DNA My Dog, however, the company offered a lengthy and sometimes confusing explanation.

"If non-canine DNA is provided on a sample, our algorithms will automatically report a 100% genetic mismatch," a spokesperson said in an emailed statement, "and may randomly associate the genetic sequences with canine ones, usually those found in our positive control samples."

"The sample from the first test this team submitted to us failed our analysis and a re-test was performed. This sample was indeed non-canine DNA," the emailed statement said, seeming to reference the cheek swabs submitted by the New Hampshire woman last year. "The second sample submitted yielded a strong genetic match to canine breed markers, indicating that this sample was, in fact, a canine DNA sample. We assume that this is why they submitted more samples."

"It should be noted that our Canine DNA Test was not designed to determine the species present in DNA, but rather what breeds are present in a canine's DNA," the statement continues. "Our test is designed to measure canine DNA specifically, not DNA from humans nor any other species. These non-canine samples have absolutely no bearing on the accuracy of our canine breed identification testing, and to say so would be a false equivalency."

DNA My Dog added that since "the airing of the first media report about this, we have been inundated with non-canine DNA sample submissions, whether from this team or unrelated parties."

"It is unfortunate that the accuracy of our canine DNA test has been called into question over the repeated submission of human DNA samples," the company said.

Back in September, when the news station first reported on DNA My Dog's defiant mixup, Harvard Medical School bioethicist and veterinarian Lisa Moses explained that testing dog DNA is particularly difficult because there aren't any genetic codes ascribed to breeds.

"A breed is something that we've decided, which is based upon essentially the way a dog looks," Moses told the CBS affiliate. "But that doesn't necessarily mean that we're going to know what their genes look like."

With issues abounding in the human DNA space — and, of course, the prevailing view that race and ethnicity are social and cultural constructs — it's no wonder that things get even fuzzier with dogs.

More on DNA tests: 23andMe CEO Says Company Is Doing Fine Despite Losing 93% of Stock Value

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