For purposes of education and nothing intended as political, although in discussing wolves the task of remaining non political becomes nearly impossible, it has often been asked whether wolves reintroduced into the Northern Rockies or Desert Southwest are in fact the same animal that roamed those areas in its day. Perhaps the truth is we don’t know. One possible danger could be the creation of an imbalance to that particular ecosystem, while at the same time some people believe the wolf to be an integral and necessary part of the ecosystem. But what part?
If you will recall, Teddy Roosevelt often documented in his writings about wolves and coyotes. He relates his experiences with the Native American Indians how they cross bred dogs in order to get a useful beast for work and hunting. Roosevelt also described in detail his sightings of wolves in his travels, making account of the variations in size and behavior from one region to another.
In numerous discussions, some claim the wolves we see in the wild, including those introduced into the United States were “pure” wolves. Others question whether there is such a thing. In our haste to populate regions of this country with wolves, we have pushed to create distinct species and subspecies of the wolf. Back in March I told you about environmentalists in the Northeast region of our country that wanted to recognize, document and declare wolf-dog hybrids as a separate species and move toward their federal protection.
Through researching and studying this creature so frequently recorded in history, much of which is deemed as lore, I’ve had access to varying records of historic accounts of wolves, albeit many times anecdotal evidence.
Recently I received through a group emailing a series of historic notes or excerpts taken from records of many years. These accounts speak of the frequent and common inbreeding of wild wolves with domesticated dogs. I thought that in combination with links to previous historic accounts, this would shed some light on the possibilities that there even exists a “pure” wolf, or the same ones that roamed our regions years ago. It might help us all understand better the kind of animal we are dealing with.
~~~~~~~~~~
Late 1700’s, Western Hudson Bay – “the Dog… resembles the wolf, but in size is greatly inferior… They run and bite in silence, never barking but sometimes howl egregiously… It is usual for our [Newfoundland] dogs and also the native breed to copulate with wolves, and the offspring retain the moroseness of the latter.”
Williams, G. ed., intro by R. Glover. 1969:33. Andrew Graham’s Observations on Hudson’s Bay, 1767-91. The Hudson’s Bay Record Society, Vol. XXVII, London.
————–
1801, Park R. Post, North Dakota – “We had a Bitch [in heat]… I turned [the dogs] out and drove them all to the plains when a band of Wolves being near hand, and getting the scent of the bitch approached them, and a furious battle ensued, in which one of our dogs was torn to pieces, and left dead on the spot. This is frequently the case at this season of the year, when the Wolves are copulating and our dogs get among them they are often torn to pieces. The female Wolves it would seem prefers our dogs to their own species, and we now see them daily coming near the Fort and endeavour to entice the dogs out onto the plains with them. This often happens, when if the dogs do ever return again, they are in a most miserable condition, lean and covered with sores. Some of my men have amused themselves by watching their motions and when they have observed them in the act of copulating have rushed upon them with an Axe or Club, when the dogs apprehending no danger would remain quiet, and the Wolf being prevented from running off was instantly dispatched.”
Gough, B.M., ed. 1988:106. The Journal of Alexander Henry the Younger 1799-1814, Vol. 1:Red River and the Journey to the Missouri, The Champlain Society, Toronto.
—————-
1861, St. Cloud, Minnesota – “I saw a large brown and red dog at the hotel, so wolfish in appearance that I enquired his pedigree. I was told that he was half wolf and raised as a train dog for the sledge… and that such dogs were raised and kept at Georgetown for this express purpose. In the rutting season the she dog is taken into the woods, tied and left. She is found there when the heat is upon her by the wolf… and the result is a cross breed… The wolf dog I saw… [described]’ p 121
Morgan, L.H., 1999:121. The Indian Journals, 1859-62. Dover Publications, New York. Originally published in 1959, The University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor, MI
————–
1851, Fort Union, North Dakota – “Indian dogs differ very slightly from wolves in appearance, howl like them, do not bark, and not infrequently mate with them.”
Kurz, R.F. 2005:172. On The Upper Missouri: The Journal of Rudolph Friederich Kurz, 1851-1852. Edited and Abridged by Carla Kelly. Introduction by Scott Eckberg. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman
————-
1859, Fort Edmonton, Alberta – “They are mostly of the ordinary Indian kind, large and long-legged and wolfish, with sharp muzzles, pricked ears, and thick, straight, wiry hair [of many colours]… Most of them are very wolfish in appearance, many being half or partly, or all but entirely, wolves in blood. One dark grey dog… was said to be almost a pure wolf…”
Southesk, Earl of. 1969 [1875]:152-53. A Diary and Narrative of Travel, Sport, and Adventure, During a Journey Through the Hudson’s Bay Company’s Territories, in 1859 and 1860. Edinburgh: Edmonston and Douglas; 1969 by Charles E. Tuttle Co. Publishers, Rutland, Vermont & Tokyo, Japan.
————
1845, southern Saskatchewan – “an immense number of dogs… follow them from the [Metis] settlements for the purpose of feeding on the offal and remains of the slain buffaloes. These dogs are very like wolves, both in appearance and disposition, and, no doubt, a cross breed between the wolf and the dog. A great many of them acknowledge no particular master, and are sometimes dangerous in times of scarcity. I have myself known them to attack the horses and eat them.”
“At night we were annoyed by the incessant howling and fighting of innumerable dogs and wolves that had followed us to the hunt, seemingly well aware of the feast that was preparing for them…”
Kane, P. 1925:53, 61. Wanderings of an Artist Among the Indians of North America. The Radisson Society of Canada Ltd., Toronto.
———-
Assiniboine word for dog = “Shunka”; and wolf = Shuñkto-ka-cah,” which means “Literally, the other kind of dog.”
Denig, E.T. 2000 [1930]:189. The Assiniboine. Canadian Plains Research Center, University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, OK. Reprint from Forty-sixth Annual Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 1928-1929
Tom Remington
