Some time ago, Bored Panda published an article about a woman who brought her rescue dog to the vet for a regular checkup. Upon entering the office and seeing the dog, the vet dropped whatever he was holding in his hands. It turned out that what the woman thought to be a really big dog was, in fact, a wolf dog. “But what is a wolfdog?” you may ask. The name itself sounds like it came from a fantasy tale. To be honest, they do look like some mystic creatures.
It is common knowledge that dogs and wolves come from the same family and are very closely related. And while big dogs and wolves generally look a lot like each other, there are some wolf-like dogs that are very difficult to distinguish from real wolves. Most dog breeds that look like wolves are hybrids, meaning they are part dog, part wolf. The closer the wolf part is on their family line (for example, one of the parents was a wolf, as opposed to a great aunt a couple of generations in the past), the more the pup will look like a wolf too. This type of crossbreeding is mostly done for scientific purposes, though sometimes it can very well occur naturally.
If you are wondering which dogs look like wolves, check out Northern Inuit dogs. Remember the dire wolves from Game of Thrones? Yep, that’s the one. Others include the Swedish Vallhund, Belgian Tervuren, and more. Even more common Alaskan malamutes and Siberian huskies are considered wolf dogs.
Wolf dogs are regarded as pets even though they come with extra responsibility for their owners due to their sheer size and also because they have more acute prey instincts. But if you are thinking of acquiring a pet wolf, this might not be the best idea. Don’t forget that wolves are wild animals and, as such, need to live in nature. If you happen to have rescued a wolf (congrats!) and, for certain reasons, it can’t return to its natural habitat, consider handing the animal over to a sanctuary or other professionals who are equipped to handle wild animals.
Check out the photos of dogs that look like wolves that we collected for this article, and if you happen to know another gorgeous creature from this family, share their pics in the comments.
#1 Loki The Wolfdog – Breakin’ Hearts Since 2012
Image source: Kelly Lund, loki
#2 A Bad Dog Owner Dumped This Wolf-Dog At A Kill Shelter When He Got Too Big And Too Much To Handle. Luckily A Sanctuary Took Him Instead And Saved His Life!
His DNA testing came back as 87.5 % Gray Wolf, 8.6 % Siberian Husky, and 3.9 % German Shepherd.
Image source: beaverkc
#3 Wolf Pup
Image source: brl621
#4 This Is The Photo That Made Me Say “I’m Gonna Drive 800 Miles To Rescue That Special Needs Pupper”
Image source: melissakate8
#5 Looking Into The Distance
Image source: refugio.delobos
#6 Sasha (The Czech Wolfdog) Loves Beach Zoomies
Image source: Redback911
#7 My Wolfdog Boy, Faelen, Giving Cuddles To My Mom
Image source: Runningwithwolfdogs
#8 The Majestic Wolfdog
Image source: wilde_run
#9 His Winter Coat Is Coming And He Is Getting More And More Beautiful
Image source: sirius_rydstorm
#10 Black Wolf Hybrid
Image source: cheesy_please_me
#11 Sometimes Lucian Just Lies On Me And Looks At Me Like This. Fills My Heart Up Even On The (All Too Common) Bad Days
Image source: SheridanSauvage
#12 Enjoy The Ride!
Image source: seiyathorkan.lb.clt
#13 My Wife’s Wolfhound Puppy Is Eating My Wolfdog
Image source: ElysiumPotato
#14 Here’s One Of Our Rescues, Yuki
Image source: britweins
#15 Thorkan And His Beautiful Mom Phoebee! He Was Only A Few Weeks Old, My Baby, I Love This Picture!
Image source: seiyathorkan.lb.clt
#16 Rub My Damn Belly!
Image source: Srous226
#17 Here’s Some More Of Yuki The Wolf Dog Hybrid
His DNA testing came back as 87.5 % Gray Wolf, 8.6 % Siberian Husky, and 3.9 % German Shepherd. Currently at the shy wolf Sanctuary, he was taken to a high kill shelter at first when he was too much to handle, but was rescued and is now at the sanctuary and loving it.
Image source: sirprize
#18 A Wolf-Dog Hybrid
Image source: Gar1986
#19 Is There Anything Cuter Than A Wolfdog Wanting Belly Rubs?
Image source: melissakate8
#20 Never Stop Outdoor Life!
Image source: wolf_instinct
#21 My Puppy Looks Like A Small Wolf!
Image source: bulgariandoll
#22 Them Eyes Though. Almost 5 Months Old
Image source: Icarus_Downfall
#23 Hello Pack! Some Memories Of 2021
Image source: wolf_instinct
#24 I Made Stupid And Weird Sounds To Get This Photo. Otherwise He Wouldn’t Look At Me
Image source: SheridanSauvage
#25 Our Super Scary Guard Dog… She’s Alaskan Malamute With A Big Smile
Image source: FlagmakerUK
#26 My Dad And My Alaskan Malamute Gideon. He Loves When My Dad Visits The House
Image source: KangarooRIOT
#27 Through The Thick And Thicker
Image source: loki
#28 This Big Girl Was Accepting Treats By Hand. 80% Concentration Wolfdog. From Yamnuska Wolfdog Sanctuary, Alberta, CA
Image source: Anhart15
#29 New Pups On The Ride Home
Image source: Brufar_308
#30 Friend Met This Spectacular Wolf!
Image source: srod999
#31 From March Till October
Image source: Brufar_308
#32 Adult Mars And… Baby Mars!
Image source: PM-Me-Ur-Gore
#33 Nymeria Got To Meet A New Friend Yesterday!
Image source: melissakate8
#34 This May Be The Single Greatest Picture Of Tibbi Ever Taken
Image source: Ravetti
#35 I Think We Need A Bigger Bed
Image source: Jeneea1
#36 This Is Eli. 6yo Male Siberian Husky. Should Be Picking Him Up From The Shelter On Saturday!
Image source: That_802_guy
#37 A Nice Sunrise Over The Sainte Victoire
We started the hike at 4am in the night alone in the world with our dogs, paradise!
Image source: nocturnals_animals
#38 Nox Enjoyed Our Halloween Leftovers. Looks Like A Pumpkin Exploded Now
Image source: falconerchick
#39 Crow, 8 Year Old
Image source: melissakate8
#40 Koda, The 11 Week Old Wolf-Look-Alike Breed Northern Inuit Dog
Image source: SarcasmIsStupid
#41 Meet Max, 50% Husky, 50% Wolf, 85 Lbs, And As Gentle As Can Be
Image source: shortney46
#42 A Good Weekend To All!
Image source: nocturnals_animals
#43 My Alaskan Malamute Puppy Chinook In His Cedar House
Image source: -EGC-SvetiKruh
#44 Happy Tongue Out Tuesday From Nymeria!
Image source: melissakate8
#45 5 Minutes Into “Brush Me And Chill” And She Gives You This Look
Image source: Srous226
#46 Sharing Is Caring
Image source: wilde_run
#47 Here’s To Spooky Season & Colder Weather Starting, Giving Our Babes Gorgeous Coats
Image source: catladyXxX
#48 Czechoslovakian Wolfdog (Almost Made Me Jump Out Of My Skin)
Image source: nagem7
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