But the state Game and Fish Department classifies wolf-dog mixes as domestic dogs. Markkula said the state needs to protect the animals by prohibiting their breeding and requiring that all living wolf-dogs be spayed or neutered. At the Wolfsong Ranch Foundation, which is based on a 40-acre ranch in the foothills of the Dos Cabezas Mountains, the animals are kept in large enclosures that simulate the pack environment of wolf society. The hard part, Bellis said, is having the pack accept him. I treat them as equals, but I also try to maintain with them that I am the alpha wolf when I go into a pen.
Wolves prefer to avoid humans, and so do the wolf-dogs.
But in an enclosure, the animals can easily feel cornered, creating a dangerous situation. Last week, near Colorado Springs, Colo., two wolf-dogs turned on their caretaker and killed her while she was trying to get them back into their pen. Nationally, only a handful of deaths have been linked to wolf hybrids. Meanwhile, Bellis said, a tight budget has forced the foundation to turn down at least 10 rescue requests in recent weeks. Before more animals can be taken in, a new enclosure must be built, and several other enclosures need to be upgraded.