Wolves or Alaskan husky dogs? South Dakota animal owner, neighbors at odds over pet canines

• THE ASSOCIATED PRESS  
• May 10, 2013

LEAD, South Dakota — Residents of a neighborhood in the western South Dakota city of Lead say they're fed up with a man's pet wolves. The owner of the canines says they aren't wolves but registered Alaskan husky dogs, and Mark Valdez doesn't understand why anyone would be afraid of them.

State and local authorities are now involved in the dispute, after residents say one of Valdez's animals attacked and nearly killed a small dog during the weekend.

Julie Cease said her daughter, McKenzie, is afraid to go outside and her dog, Sadie, is so traumatized by the Sunday incident that she won't got outside even to go to the bathroom.

"Sadie was crying, and McKenzie was having nightmares, so we were up pretty much all night," Cease told the Rapid City Journal (http://bit.ly/10KC00k ).

Valdez said he is not sure which animal started the incident.

"I'm not gonna blame that dog, and I'm not gonna blame my dog," he said. "I just don't do that.

Sometimes those dogs have small dog syndrome where they act like they're a lot bigger than they are and they bark and maybe it attacked him. It's also possible that my dog wanted to play with it. They're big and they play rough. They don't hurt each other, but something smaller could get hurt in play."

Valdez said his Alaskan huskies are registered with the National Universal Kennel Club and have no wolf in them.

"And they have been around other dogs, other animals, little kids, and there has never been an issue," he said.

 

A sign a Mark Valdez's house in Lead, S.D., warns visitors to keep out as one of his canine's looks on the background. Residents of a neighborhood in Lead say they're fed up with a man's pet wolves, which they say have kept them in fear for years. Valdez says they aren't wolves but registered Alaskan husky dogs, and he doesn't understand why anyone would be afraid of them. (AP Photo/Rapid City Journal, Chris Huber)

 

Signs posted near Valdez's high-fenced enclosure warn people against trespassing, to beware of guard dogs, and that the area is under 24-hour surveillance. Valdez said the high fence and surveillance is for the dogs' protection.

Several Lead residents accuse Valdez of going about town bragging that the dogs are wolves and direct descendants of the animals that appeared in the movie "Dances With Wolves."
Valdez disputes that but Police Chief John Waiman backs up the neighbors.

"On the side he tells everybody they're wolves and direct descendants of the wolves in 'Dances with Wolves,' but that's all for show and glamor," Waiman said.

The police chief praised Valdez for his genial personality and cooperation with law enforcement during the years but said local and state authorities are now investigating whether the animals violate any city or state laws.

"Now that one has escaped and damaged another's property, that brings it right to the forefront of public safety," Waiman said.

He said authorities are speaking to the state veterinarian's office and seeing what measures have to be taken to get a DNA test on the animals to determine if they are wolves. Owning wolves is not illegal in South Dakota but owners must have a permit from the Department of Agriculture, submit to regular inspections and pay $10 per animal. If an animal is considered a wolf hybrid, it still requires a permit.

"My only question is, are they safe to be in town?" Waiman said. "If they are wolves or wolf hybrids, I would think they are not OK."

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