I’ve been noticing that some of a wolf’s more dominate traits can be easily past on to wolf hybrids. These are traits which you can look for to see how much of a wolf your dog is.

1. The mane. A wolf’s thick mane appears to be the most dominate trait under the pack behavior all dogs share. The mane is usually a different color than the rest of the fur or has different colors in it. This, however, isn’t true with Melanistic (black) and and anti-Melanistic (white) wolves.

2. 180 degree eye movement. Wild wolves can rotate their eyes 180 degrees in all directions. This is so wolves can drink water on the run and essentially watch keep an eye on their surroundings without much work. With a turn of the head, this wide range of eye rotation gives the wolf a nearly 360 degree field of vision.

3. Seasonal colors. Wolves, like foxes, change their color depending on the season. Example: in the winter, a wolf could be all white, but in the summer it could have some black spots in it’s fur.

4. Excessive seasonal shedding. This generally comes with the changing colors, but not always. All dogs shed, but wolves and wolfdogs shed even more. You have to keep in mind that, in the wild, wolf needs to change it’s colors and coats as abruptly as the seasons, and thus the rate at which they shed their summer and winter coats can be just as dramatic. This might be as dominate a trait as the mane, so be warned and, if the dog shows a mane, as about he shedding.

5. Size. It is a common thing for a hybrid to be much bigger than both it’s parents. A wolf can grow to nearly six foot long and around 4 feet tall. That means a wolfdog can easily be over six foot long and probably reach around 5 feet tall. If you have neighbors complaining of a monster dog, you might check it out and see if it’s really just a wolfdog.

6. Howling. A lot of dogs howl, but a wolf’s howl is the loudest. However, don’t expect this to be a prominent feature, as lone wolves tend to keep quiet.

7. Bite Pressure. A normal dog’s bite pressure is barely about 100psi…a small bite from a wolf is above 400psi. A wolf’s full bite pressure is arround 1500psi, making it one of the strongest. So, if your dog can bite through solid bone or steel without much trouble, then you might have a hybrid.

Just some tips if you’re looking for a wolf dog. Now, when the dog is a pup, there’s probably no way to tell until they’re a little older. A wolf pup a couple months old can be as big as a small dog…like a Pomeranian. But, the easiest way to tell if it has wolf genes is the mane. If you see a coyote with a wolf mane, you know you have wolves in the area. (trust me, it looks odd)

But, a wolf dog is probably going to have the wildness and fierceness of a wolf, and it ISN’T a good idea to get one unless you’ve done some research on wolves and have a great respect for them. You also have to remember a wolf dog WILL be stronger than you. I don’t care if you lift weights and can bench press it, it WILL be pulling you along on walks if you don’t teach it that you’re the alpha. Also, a thing to remember: Wolves have a high pain tolerance and low abuse tolerance whereas a dog has a low pain tolerance and high abuse tolerance. This means, if you kick your wolf dog around, there’s a good chance it’ll turn around and bite that leg off.

Anyways, that’s it.

As many of you know, I will be moving to Spokane some time in September. While this is sad news in that I will be away from me friends in Vancouver, it does mean I will closer to the wolves. As such, a new camera (preferably a Canon) has jumped to the top of my list. (If anyone lives in the Vancouver/Portland area and wants to buy a set of lightly used tools for $500 let me know, because I am selling mine.) Granted Spokane will mean the hunt for a job and venturing out on my own, but I am sure I will make some time to go hunting for some sweet wolf photos. I really would not mind becoming a wolf photographer. I am also going to look into going back to school in Spokane to possibly become a wolf behaviorist, or possibly I will just get a nice plot of land somewhere and kind of live amongst them and gain my knowledge that way.

But anyways, expect to see any wolf photos and pictures of Spokane in general, to be posted here on World is Wild.

Also, be watching for Wolf Week coming July 27th.

This is the trailer for a prequel of sorts to A Wolf of Legend (Journey). It is entitled When the Wolves Died. It follows the journey of a wolf that lived back in the 1800s who saw great evil and the slaughtering of the wolves and of the natives and even other settlers. This story is quite graphic and is not intended for readers under the age of 18.

A Special Clip that includes the Introduction plus the first two chapters will debut during Wolf Week in July, so be watching for that.

I am living a season of life where this word is the foundation of my search.  So many people my age are going through the same thing.  What is it that defines you?  What are you?  Do you define yourself by your friends?  By what you own?  By what you wear?  How is it that this is the most important thing about you, and yet we feel so confused and scared of what defines us?

You see, the only thing that can define us is the affirmation of God.  It is what we long for.  You remember being a kid and creating something so amazing that you just had to show Mom and Dad?  They would come and look at what you made.  Sometimes they’d praise the work you did, others they would be disappointed because it was creatively destructive.  But isn’t that what we’re trying to do with our lives?  Don’t we live in such a way that we are asking anybody to come and look what we did?  We’re searching for affirmation that our lives mean something.  

It doesn’t matter whether you have faith in God or not.  We are wired this way.  We want to know that our lives have meaning.  We need to know that we are living out our purpose.  What I believe is that until we can surrender our lives that we are creatively destroying to God, that we can’t define our lives in such a way that generations will recall.  Our definition must come from God.  He must be molding our lives and we must remain moldable.

For a long time I have wanted to have something to offer.  I have longed to make a difference for the Kingdom of God.  I wanted to get out and be somebody.  I don’t want to be overlooked.  Often times I feel like I’m not doing enough.  I feel like if I’m not the one in charge or the one who is needed that I don’t matter and that God doesn’t use me.  That’s wrong.  I’ve thought that if I can’t evangelize, that I must not be a strong Christian.  There’s something wrong with me.  

I’m beginning to learn just what my life means to God.  It is a beautiful, wild, and scary thing.  It is strong, it is passionate, and it is full of life and freedom as only God can give.  I want to live in that.  I’m am trying to take the steps to walk in that relationship with God.  I keep messing up.  I keep losing sight of God in the midst of stress, in the midst of the storm.  I feel like Peter saying “if it is you, Lord, then tell me to come out to you!” And Jesus replying “Come.” I get out of the boat and start walking towards Him, then I look away for only a second and sink.  It takes faith that sometimes I just don’t have.  I doubt.  We all do.  And if you don’t, what is it that you see?

I think that we need to realize our definition in life doesn’t come from what we do or who we are.  We need to know that what we’re building and what we’re working toward is something only God can create.  God will define our lives if we let Him.  When we let him do that, we won’t always see the results, and maybe we never will.  But it is that definition that we are longing for.  That definition will fulfill our lives.  That definition is what gives us a purpose.  We need to stop trying to build our own lives.  We need to realize that we just can’t mark the world like God can. 

Look at Jesus.  Jesus was the son of God and he is still the most controversial, most well known figure in the history of the world.  Abraham, allowed his life to be molded and marked by God.  God defined his life as being Man of God and he is the father of nations.  David surrendered his life to God at a very young age.  God defined David’s life as that of a leader, of a warrior, of a man who passionately followed HIm.  We know David as a man after God’s own heart.  David was also blessed as he ruled over the nation of Israel and that time is known as the golden age of Israel.

We are defined by God, and that definition leads to actions that we take.  That definition leads to the choices we make and how we live our lives.  If you’re thinking to yourself “Well, I don’t know how God is going to define my life” or that maybe you just don’t know if you’ll be able to find what God’s definition is, I’d encourage you to go beyond just praying or looking through the Bible.  Start talking with a mentor, a pastor, a group of friends, or find a lifegroup and let them know what you’re looking for.  Sometimes we must let other people carry us before the feet of God because we’re too scared or weak,  or we just can’t get there period.  

Available on lhcfishers.com beginning May 26th!

I figured I’d better post on here eventually since it is a rare event when I do.

Alright, since jamba is posting WA Week updates on his blog, i figured I can contribute here with Hot fire photos. check it out:

notice the pink and white coloration. that mean it is a SUPER HOT fire. From the information I have gathered, based on the color and the fact we melted thick Sobe bottles, my guess is our fire was between 2500º and 2600º F. Cool huh? Remember, do not start fires in a steady wind with high gusts.

I

so, I as looking around on the Web for wolf information, and randomly came across a website for a place in Washington known as Wolf Haven. It is in  Tenino, Washington, just 7 miles off of I-5 in Washington. I have been looking around on their site, and it seems pretty cool. We would go there for Washington Week, but they are closed on Tuesdays. Maybe for Wolf Week. Anyways, they educate 20,000-30,000 people a year and have rescued over 100 wolves. currently, they are 32 grey wolves, 3 red wolves (that’s right, red wolves), 3 Mexican Grey Wolves, 2 coyotes and 4 wolf-dog hybrids there. I cannot find what the costs for tours is.

I have added a link to their site to the links. You  can donate and stuff there.

Anyways just thought I would blog about it, because it is cool.

So, I was listening to our pastor speak about Genesis 1 and he mentioned that everything was spoken into existence, while man was breathed into existence. I got to thinking about that and to put it simply: We have the Breath of God in us,  but Creation has the Word of God in it. What does this mean? Well, it is kinda like, creation was put here to be a guide a and teaching tool for us. God wanted to show us his glory and his message through his creation. I mean, look how many parables and passages in the Bible refer to some aspect of nature.

“Look at the Birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” –Jesus (Matthew 6:26)

I know that when I am out in nature, that is when I feel the closest to God. It is there that I feel that I can hear his voice better. I mean, even Elijah had to spend some time in God’s Creation to hear his voice; his word. So, the next time you need are struggling to hear God and understand what he has to say to you, try going out and spending some time in his Word; his Creation.

That Wolf Guy,

Mamba

So, Sunday, we (Jamba and I) hiked up Dog  Mountain and let me tell you that is one crappy hike up. It gains roughly 3000 feet or so in like 3.5 (3.2 up actually so it’s like 1000′/mile; Jamba) miles. Not all that fun really (because we decided to take the ’short’ route up.  Aka ‘more difficult; Jamba). The view from the top was awesome though. Check it out: