Bishop Nash/The Herald-Dispatch
One-year old wolf hybrids Hinder,
left, and Cheyenne get up on a park bench with owner John DeBoard in
Huntington's Ritter Park on Saturday, April 5, 2014.
Bishop Nash/The Herald-Dispatch
John and Tina DeBoard of
Chespeake take wolf hybrids Hinder, left, and Cheyenne for a walk
through Huntington's Ritter Park on Saturday, April 5, 2014.
Bishop Nash/The Herald-Dispatch
John,Tina and son Tyler DeBoard
of Chespeake take wolf hybrids Hinder, left, and Cheyenne for a walk
through Huntington's Ritter Park on Saturday, April 5, 2014
Bishop Nash/The Herald-Dispatch
John DeBoard of Chesapeake takes
wolf hybrids Hinder, left, and Cheyenne for a walk through Huntington's
Ritter Park on Saturday, April 5, 2014.
Since Ohio law prohibits people from owning wolves without a dangerous animal permit, he's decided to do the next best thing and now has four hybrid wolves at his home in the Chesapeake area. Hybrid wolves or wolf-dogs are a mixture of wolves and domestic dogs, primarily huskies or Alaskan malamutes. "It all started about a year ago when I bought Cheyenne," DeBoard said. "She's just a big baby. I love hybrid wolves. I have four of them now, and I want to set up a hybrid wolf sanctuary in the Chesapeake area. I have an acre, but I'm trying to find more property and set up a nonprofit, 501(C)3," he said. "Ohio considers a hybrid wolf a domestic dog. I want to save them. Some people will buy them and then want to get rid of them by turning them loose or taking them to kill shelters."
Mayor Dick Gilpin said someone with a hybrid wolf came into his store to buy a key and he asked about the animal. "I was concerned at first when he said it was a hybrid wolf, but the animal was real friendly. It was real timid."
Hybrid wolves are considered dogs under Ohio law, said Ron Ollis, a law enforcement program administrator for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. "They're regulated like a dog," he said.
A study done by the United States Department of Agriculture several years ago noted that the animals were growing in popularity as pets, and estimated there were 300,000 hybrids, or wolf dogs as they are sometimes called, in the United States. Several states require permits, and a few do not allow residents to have hyrid wolves.
"Wolves have been contentious," Ollis said. "Wolves are considered dangerous animals and you need a permit to keep them. With four hybrid wolves, he'll probably need a kennel license." "I don't have a problem with them, but I haven't been around them much," he said. "There's a lot of expense with an animal that big. It wouldn't bother me that much if one lived close to me. When I was a kid, a neighbor had one. They can get big, 150 to 180 pounds."
Bill Click, Lawrence County dog warden, has had little experience with wolf hybrids. "I'm concerned about any dog that big and powerful, but I've never had a problem with them. I'm leery of them. With any dog that big and powerful, I'm going to be very cautious. If I had one, I'd make sure I had plenty of liability insurance."
Not everyone can handle wolfdogs. According to Wolfdog Rescue Network, some wolfdogs are sofa dogs while others are totally hands off. There is absolutely no behavior displayed by wolfdogs that cannot be seen in domestic dogs, according to the website.
The U.S. Fish and Wild Life Service doesn't have an official policy or position on hybrid wolves except to say that federal protections under the Endangered Species Act do not apply to hybrid wolves, said Maricela Constantino, ecological services with the federal service. "In my personal opinion, as a citizen of Huntington, I do have concerns about someone walking a wolf dog hybrid around Pullman Square or anywhere else I might be with my family, although this would probably depend on the percentage of wolf the animal actually is," Constantino said.
Kentucky has no regulations concerning hybrid wolves. West Virginia has no restrictive laws concerning the ownership of wolf hybrids.
DeBoard is trying to raise money to spay and neuter the animals and put an ID chip in them. "I want to start an adoption process, too," DeBoard said. He will turn the animals over only to qualified, experienced handlers. "Some people give me food," DeBoard said. "A deer processor gives me meat, too. I give them some raw meat as well as dry food."
DeBoard has taken the hybrid wolves to downtown Chesapeake and other locations. "People are starting to recognize them," he said. "They're on Facebook at Southern Ohio Wolf Sanctuary." "People want to learn more about them," DeBoard said. "There are a lot of misconceptions about wolves. They're more scared of you than you are of them." "I don't intend to breed them," he said. "That just increases the problem. I'm trying to rescue them. I've always had a passion for wolves. I can't have wolves, but I can have hybrids. I've been researching them for five years." "Someone needs to stand up for these animals," he said. "They deserve a life. I want to see them get proper care."
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