Dire Wolf Project Breeding Pets for Game of Thrones Fans

[The Rogue Wolf]

To anyone considering this or any other 'purebred' pet:

Please, *please* seriously examine your motives, and determine why. Is it in any way due to a feeling you anticipate over owning something 'cool', 'unique', or 'sophisticated', which by extension you think would make you 'cool', 'unique' or 'sophisticated'?

Or is it because you want a furry, loving companion, with possible desirable secondary traits such as athleticism (to encourage you to exercise), or protection (sense of security), or farm work (herd assistance)? Because there is no desirable trait one could want, that couldn't be found in a mixed or mutt breed.

'Pure breeding' rarely serves any purpose other than vanity or elitism, and has spawned some of the most horrific canine-oriented problems to date, such as health issues and puppy mills. There are countless thousands of perfectly healthy dogs waiting for adoption who won't be. Consider that.

Yes, I expect this opinion to be savaged with outraged 'pure-breed' enthusiasts. My opinion still stands.

Seconded.

And thirded. You need only look at what happened after 101 Dalmations hit the theaters- thousands of puppies bought from mills who didn't give a damn about genetic problems or quality of health, and families finding out the hard way that Dalmations can suffer from a host of problems. I'm not consigning this "Dire Wolf" project to the same fate, but history has this nasty habit of repeating itself.

Want a really cool pet? Visit your local shelter or adoption group. There's a perfect pet waiting for you there!

 

[MetalMagpie]

The lifespan is fantastic, 15 - 20 years is amazing for any dog.

That's a goal they've set - not the lifespan they've currently achieved. The current average lifespan is 12-14 years (which is just a little bit longer than a standard German Shepherd at 9-13 years).

 

[Artemis923]

Meh. Can't stand the Starks, as I'm a Lannister man at heart.

A pet lion seems out of the question, though. T-T

 

[Daaaah Whoosh]

Something about animal breeding freaks me out. If someone started a program to breed humans to look like some sort of prehistoric breed, let's say the Neanderthals for instance, then they would be thrown in jail. Not to mention that we're turning living animals into merchandise, in a world where everything gets thrown away when the next model comes out.

That said, having a dire wolf would be fucking sweet. Hopefully the guys breeding them don't take a page from the Lannisters' book.

 

[DugMachine]

True but owls and pretty much any bird are way harder to take care of compared to a 'direwolf' which is just a dog. Dogs are pretty low maintenance, feed them, give em water and give them attention. Hell you don't even have to give them attention they're just happy to be with you.

A lot of specialized/hybrid dogs tend to have health issues that can cost thousands of dollars to treat.

True enough but I believe anybody willing to spend 3k on a dog will educate themselves before the purchase and spend money to keep them around as long as they can whether it's for medication/surgeries etc. I hope I'm right.

 

[Kipenz]

They're not breeding them 'for' Game of Thrones fans. It's a long running breeding project. This is a terrible article title.

No wolves are used, the Dire Wolf association is only a cosmetic goal. They are breeding them to be easygoing companion dogs- not hunters.

Good health and temperament are the primary goals over appearance, and they avoid pure-breeding practices to achieve this. They're just starting to enter the appearance stage of the project now and this is why the animals still look mostly like fluffy German Shepards (which they were created from). The life-span is also another long-term goal they are beginning to work towards.

High caliber breeders don't sell their animals to someone they don't believe will be a good home. Especially within a project with as low supply and high demand such as this.

All of this and more, for those who take the time to read up on it for a second before posting.

 

[The Funslinger]

Watch as people get these animals and then get rid of them after a couple of years due to their associated costs.

Same shit happened with owls back when Harry Potter first came out. ;/

I'd have said there's a difference between owls and a fancy-pants breed of dog.

People aren't going to have any more difficulty with these than any other large breed of dog like wolfhounds or malamutes. I'm not saying people never buy dogs when they're ill equipped to handle them, that's how the whole staffy incident came about.

But at the end of the day, these people are buying a dog, and can likely as not handle it. I wouldn't recommend something like that as a first dog, but it's certainly an improvement on the very naturally aggressive and territorial breed of terrier I was given as a kid.

They should have just gotten a nice, friendly Cockerspanial to surprise me... we can't keep our Labradors in the house anymore.

 

[Biodeamon]

has science gone too far?

 

[thiosk]

If I were to get an engineered pure breed animal, there are only two choices for me:

The savannah cat

or

The Sphinx

Otherwise, its all mutts and shelter cats for me.

Wait, bulldog.

I lied.

 

[Evil Smurf]

Why not just get a husky?

I am a cat person, but that is a really cute dog.

 

[Albino Boo]

Why not just get a husky?

I am a cat person, but that is a really cute dog.

Huskies are on the more difficult end of the spectrum to deal with. The have very strong instincts to pull and need a large amount of exercise and on average their personality is quite aloof. A Husky is dog for experienced owners only.


Yeah he is a cute dog. If you ever want to know what standing next to movie star feels like take him for a walk. He has caused 2 minor road accidents because of drivers in slow moving traffic looking at him and going into the car in front. A group of Chinese tourist followed him around the park taking photos of him and once a group of German bikers had their photo taken mitt hund. Monty has a very laid back personality but there is always a risk with any big dog, once he was playing with another dog and accidently knocked me over and broke 3 of my ribs.

 

[Olas]

I'll admit I haven't read very far into Game of Thrones yet, but aren't direwolves supposed to grow to be huge? Like the size of a horse?

Would rather a sable coloured Finnish Lapphund myself:

You get the wolfy looks with the loving family orientated nature that comes with decades of domestication.

Oh my god, I want one. I've never seen a larger adult dog look so cute and friendly.

 

[Aesir23]

If I were to get an engineered pure breed animal, there are only two choices for me:

The savannah cat

or

The Sphinx

Otherwise, its all mutts and shelter cats for me.

Wait, bulldog.

I lied.

If you do get a Savannah cat you should check what laws they have in your state regarding hybrid animals. Some cities (like NYC) don't allow them to be owned at all even if it's an F5.

OT: Personally, I'm in full favour of shelter dogs as there are plenty who need a loving home. My only annoyance with shelters (at least my local ones) is that they will label any dog that can get away with it as a border collie cross. They did that with my dog but aside from her colouring there is no hint of any border collie in her.

 

[WouldYouKindly]

That,is,awesome-just be carefully that it doesn't go wild/kill any small children

It's no more dangerous than a Great Pyrenees.

Instant conversation starter for the life of the dog. Walk it outside and everyone will ask, WHERE THE HELL DID YOU GET A PET WOLF!?

 

[Uhura]

To anyone considering this or any other 'purebred' pet:

Please, *please* seriously examine your motives, and determine why. Is it in any way due to a feeling you anticipate over owning something 'cool', 'unique', or 'sophisticated', which by extension you think would make you 'cool', 'unique' or 'sophisticated'?

Or is it because you want a furry, loving companion, with possible desirable secondary traits such as athleticism (to encourage you to exercise), or protection (sense of security), or farm work (herd assistance)? Because there is no desirable trait one could want, that couldn't be found in a mixed or mutt breed.

'Pure breeding' rarely serves any purpose other than vanity or elitism, and has spawned some of the most horrific canine-oriented problems to date, such as health issues and puppy mills. There are countless thousands of perfectly healthy dogs waiting for adoption who won't be. Consider that.

Yes, I expect this opinion to be savaged with outraged 'pure-breed' enthusiasts. My opinion still stands.

I think it's a bit disingenuous to imply that the main reason people want to own a purebred pet has anything to do with coolness, sophistication, vanity or elitism. Most people I know who own purebred Labradors or Golden retrievers or whatever are normal people who wanted a family pet from a reputable and responsible breeder. Insinuating that only purebred dogs suffer from health problems and that mixed/mutt breeds are "perfectly healthy dogs" is also pretty dishonest and simplifies the issue. If you mix a Labrador and a German shepherd who both suffer from hip dysplasia, there is a good chance that also the puppy has the same problem even though it's a mix. Also with mixes and mutts you don't really have any kind of documentation that would prove that the dog isn't a victim of 'backyard inbreeding'.

 

[Reaper195]

Watch as people get these animals and then get rid of them after a couple of years due to their associated costs.

Same shit happened with owls back when Harry Potter first came out. ;/

I was thinking exactly that. Not long after the last HP film came out, animal shelters started getting a tonne of owls. And they all had their wings clipped, so they couldn't release them into the wild, either.