Briersting, my wolfdog.

Please don't take this page as an endorsement for wolf hybrids. As much as I loved Briersting, he was an absolute nightmare to own. Wolf hybrids do NOT make good pets.

They can be extremely destructive and will chew anything within reach to pieces. Above, Brier chews a deer antler, but he also ate trees, screen doors, and the siding off houses. He got me kicked out of the rental I was living in when I had him, because he was destroying everything and I couldn't get him to stop.

For as long as I had him (not quite a year), Brier was sweet, friendly and loved people, children, and other dogs. But many wolf-hybrids become aggressive as they get older, and are not safe around other animals and small children. They tend to retain more wild instincts than dogs do.

Briersting always did love--nay--CRAVE attention. That was also part of his downfall--he would howl incessantly if left alone.

At about ten months of age, I had to find another home for him. He ended up running off and going through at least two more homes after that.

Wolves have always been a "totem" animal to me (the name "Lupin" means wolfish). But it was very naïve of me to think that I should have a wolf for a pet. I was nineteen at the time I got Briersting, and had a lot of learning to do. We both suffered for my mistake.

Long story short, he ended up in an animal shelter and was adopted by some people who moved out of state. I never saw him after that, and can only hope that his story had a happy ending.

The moral of the story: Learn from my mistake, and don't even think about getting a wolf-hybrid. Go get yourself a nice wolfy-looking husky or malamute or German shepherd.