I've just been reading a breed book and noticed two beautiful breeds named the Czechoslovakian Wolfdog and the Saarloos Wolfdog. Although, these are only the breed names. The Dangerous Wild Animal Act 1976 applies to keeping a wolfdog in domestic environment. You are not allowed to do this. But, reading further, it states that a "wolfdog" is an animal whose parents are that of a wolf and a dog.

So, what if you were to keep a Saarloos or Czechoslovakian wolfdog in this country when you can prove that it's parents were not made up of one wolf and one dog but were made up of two "wolfdogs". And it's grandparents were and it's great grandparents. The confusion is over the breed name as it contains the word "wolfdog".

I am interested in the breed but I very much doubt that my family will allow me to keep yet another dog! Plus, I have found a breeders in Slovakia and Holland so it's obviously legal over there!

The Saarloos Wolfdog has a Official Recognition in JCI Group 1 and the Czechoslovakian is also in JCI Group 1 but comes under "provisional".

So, back to the main point, would it be legal to keep one of these breeds in this country?

I have no idea but you can read all about them here.....

http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/czechoslovakianwolfdog.htm

http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/saarlooswolfhond.htm

Although I would imagine you would need a licence reading futher into the Saarloos Wolfdog.  As in 1921 according to the link they used wolves out of zoos to start breeding programmes.

I've just read that too funnily enough but thanks for the links!

< The Saarlooswolfhond can be used as a small game hunter. It is rarely seen outside the Netherlands. The Saarlooswolfhond club is almost completely unavailable outside of Holland. This is because the the club wants to better control the breeds breeding and limits the breed to a single 500 mile radius.>I doubt the dutch breeders would sell one to the UK

To be honest I prefer the Czechoslovakian but, like I said, it's not gonna happen for a few years yet lol.

You could always move to N.Ireland!! Unless they have recently tightened up the laws there was a major loophole that allowed (or rather did not disallow) the keeping of such animals.  I used to babysit for a family who owned a Bengal Tiger thankfully I was only employed to look after the kids and their Irish Wolfhound and only 'met' the tiger once. And just up the road from this family a man moved in  and he had a leopard. He had apparently owned a Safari Park somewhere  and sold the park but wanted to keep this particular animal as it needed special care and had to move to N. Ireland to do so. I guess it's a bit odd that I come from a small village that had two big cats resident but then it's an odd kind of place (hence why I no longer live there!! :) )

According to the DEFRA site, if even one ancestor can be proved to be wolf then it's classed as a Dangerous Wild Animal, requires a licence to be kept and must be contained in a cage.

Have you thought of a Utonagan - although not yet recognised by the KC they are well established over here look at this site http://www.utonagan.net/ or contact Lynn Sharkey at the Blustag Kennels .

Yvonne

But there is NO wolf in a utonagan ...

They're beautiful dogs, without a doubt but I'm set on the Wolfdog! I have been on the internet and my local council seems to offer a Dangerous Wild Animal license but, in a few years I will not be living around here. I can't see how they can give a license to someone if the animal has to be kept in a cage. Surely, that's defeating the object of keeping an animal. Because, that borders on keeping an animal in poor condition! Especially if they consider it to be a wild animal.

Another thing I have just noticed is that it states "The dogs are shown every year at the leading dog shows and exhibitions." So, they're obviously not a wild animal in these countries if they have a dog show status, as I mentioned eariler it comes under JCI Group 1 Provisional.

Anyway, it's just a dream... for the moment ;)

AS the breed was created in the 20's or later I think with the other and there has been no infusion of Wolf blood since I do woner if the wild Animal rules would apply.

It would be worth asking the Kenne; Club to investigate waht the legal situation would be if the breed were to be imported.  Contact Public relations at the Kennel Club and ask them to look into it.

Also I think you mean FCI which is the international Canine Umbrella Organisaion who sanction shows and titles at International level in the countries that are affiliated to it.

Sorry, the site I was on made it look like a J not a F! I'm glad you understand what i mean by whether it would come under the Wild Animal Act so I'll definitely contact the Kennel Club. But, I've got to stop getting my hopes up!

I have just emailed the Kennel Club and they're forwarding it to the relevant department, hopefully i'll get a reply on Monday!

You do realise that these dogs have a very pimitive quality.  Tehy are not naturally outgoing and tend to be very aloof or supioctiopus of strangers, though seemed to cope well enough with the show environment.

The nearest temperament wise I would comnpare them to would be the Cannaan dogs which are a redomesticated example of Feral dogs living Wild in Israel.

I also know someone with a Pet Dingo In Poland, and he does exhibit some traits that wou;d make him not the easiest pet. 

There are quite a few breeds in the Spitz grpoup that will satisfy the longing for that back to basicas look without the inherent difficulties, I know as I have some :D

I would have thought DEFRA would have the last say in whether or not a licence is needed & the PDF document that gives you details of the species that require licences isnt really very clear

DEFRA seems to talk in riddles though hence me asking the KC! I've already mentioned that I'm not going to be pruchasing this breed but I'm definitely interested on what their status would be in this country. You've got to admit though, even if you're not interested in these breeds, it's quite a good task to find out about them and what the UK would make of them!

The Dutch dogs on the whole have the better characters & are better to live with(according to my Dutch friends)I think because they have been more discerning on who gets the dogs & the characters of the original & subsequent animals used

Looking at the DEFRA info for the carnivores they have this list:-Canidae, except the species of the genera Alopex, Dusicyon, Otocyon, Nyctereutes and Vulpes and the species Canis familiaris-Jackals, wild dogs, wolves and the coyote (foxes, the raccoon-dog and the domestic dog are excepted)

But then:-Any hybrid of a kind of animal specified in the foregoing provisions of this column where one parent is, or both parents are, of a kind so specified.-Mammalian hybrids with a parent (or parents) of a specified kind

Which I think means that no licence would be needed

Someone in the UK imported a couple of Sarloos a couple of years ago ..but I don't know what happened to them

DEFRA are pretty clear about wolf hybrids and how they must be kept.

But & it is a big but the definition of a Wolf hybrid is the same as that of any Hybrid under the act & is as I quoted having one or both  parents of a listed species & with these dogs the parents are NOT pure wolves or hybrid wolves anymore as there have been several generations since the pure bred animals & their F1 hybrid offspring

<Any hybrid of a kind of animal specified in the foregoing provisions of this column where one parent is, or both parents are, of a kind so specified.-Mammalian hybrids with a parent (or parents) of a specified kind>

From what I've read on the DEFRA site it doesn't matter if the last pure wolf in the ancestry was 8 generations back - it's still classed as a wolf hybrid and as such requires a licence and secure cage.
:)

It states " Any generation of "hybrid"with Wolf in it's ancestry contunues to be covered byt the Act, since these animals cannot be classified as Canis Familiaris, theoretically as infinitum"

This poses and interesting question as these two breeds are recognised as a Dog breed by an international Canine Organisationa and many National Kennel Clubs. 

So how can they not be classified as Canis Familiaris, and who does the classifying????

It would certainly need challenging  before anyone imported the dogs for their safety and well being.

Like I've said already, they ask you to have a licence for these dogs under DEFRA but elsewhere they're not classed as being hybrids, which technically they're not. So, if DEFRA states that it doesn't matter how far down the ancestor line there is a wolf as a parent then the Dangerous Wild Animal Act applies then why do we not have one of these licences for each and every one of our dogs?

The breeds are obviously classified in other countries but it seems the UK love the chance to be different and bloody confusing!

Anyway, we wait upon the Kennel Club's reply to see what they make of it. If they tell me to go via DEFRA I'll go mad LOL