A Greater Sudbury family is fighting to keep their pet dog, which may be seized by Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) pending DNA testing results.
Six-year-old Onyx was sold as a wolf-dog hybrid by a southern Ontario breeder, which is no longer in operation. Hybrids are illegal to own in Ontario, something that owner Heaven Furoy said she didn’t know until recently.
“We were told that he was within legal limits, by a factor of 14 [generations], so we never really thought anything of it,” she said. “He’s a regular dog.”
Onyx came into her life through a former partner, who wanted the dog. Furoy said she was against the idea of a wolf-dog, but later became Onyx’s main trainer and had him fixed early on. After the separation, Onyx has stayed with her, and lives at her home in Hanmer.
Earlier this year, Furoy was visited by MNR officers who were following up on a tip that her dog may be an illegal hybrid. They took a DNA sample for analysis and the results are expected soon.
Furoy said some of Onyx’s siblings have previously tested in the 20 to 30 per cent range of wolf DNA.
Calls for nuance
Furoy said she supports legal restrictions on owning wolf-dog hybrids. She said Onyx was harder to train, and she wouldn’t consider getting another one. She's also worried that owners who couldn’t give them a suitable environment, with stimulation, exercise and a large area to roam, could lead to harm for the animal or others.
Despite the greater difficulty, she eventually trained Onyx as a house dog. He lives alongside her young family, and is now comfortable resting on the couch, exploring at the farm or on trips into the backcountry.
If Onyx is seized by the MNR, he will likely be rehomed into a sanctuary. But that would likely be a difficult environment for her dog, said Furoy, since he’s been raised to live alongside her family, and not in a pack with other dogs.
“They’d have to segregate him and he’d be lonely because Onyx isn’t a wild dog. He’s used to living a life in a home,” she said.
Furoy is calling for more nuance in decisions around wolf-dog hybrids, beyond a simple DNA test.
She said there should be a fuller investigation into the animal’s demeanour and living environment, with the expertise of an animal behaviourist, before a decision is made about them.
‘Onyx loves everybody’
Onyx’s large appearance could be intimidating. He stands nearly hip-height, and has a wolf-like appearance. But Furoy describes him as a gentle giant, even around strangers.
“Onyx loves everybody. I came out of the grocery store yesterday to somebody petting him in the box of my truck,” she said. “He’s not fearful.”
At least one of her neighbours enjoys his presence, too.
“I was heartbroken,” said Carrie-Ann Labelle, on hearing the news that her neighbour’s dog may soon be seized.
“My nephew loves seeing him,” she said.
Wolf DNA can cause unpredictability
Last summer, a different wolf-dog issue happened in Greater Sudbury. A man was advocating for MNR to not euthanize his seized pack of 16 hybrid animals, and instead find sanctuary spaces for them.
At that time, a retired wildlife biologist told CBC that wolf DNA can cause unpredictability, even if the hybrid dogs seem pleasant and well-adjusted around their home environment.
An analysis last fall through the Smithsonian Institution found that most dog breeds have at least a trace of wolf DNA, reflecting how modern dogs were domesticated from wolves over thousands of years.
LISTEN | MNR doing DNA testing to determine if family's pet in is a wolf-dog:
Contacted by CBC, the MNR says Under the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, Ontario generally prohibits the possession of native wildlife, including wolf-dog hybrids, with limited exceptions.
"Ontario is not currently considering changing the requirement for an authorization or licence to keep wolves or hybrids of wolves in captivity," reads an email from the ministry. The ministry's website provides a list of these exemptions.
'Look at the entire environment'
Jack Donovan, an animal behaviour specialist and coach based in Hamilton, says he tends to "look at the entire environment surrounding the animal rather than simply saying wolf DNA equals dangerous."
According to Donovan, a major part of behaviour work is evaluating whether the environment matches the needs of the individual animal.
"Many behavioural issues we see in dogs come from mismatches between the dog and the home they’re living in," he said.
"With wolf-dogs specifically, sensitivity to sound, stress, confinement, and overstimulation can absolutely become concerns because many still retain traits and instincts associated with wolves."
Meanwhile, Donovan said "it’s important to recognize that many wolf-dogs raised in domestic settings are no longer capable of surviving independently in the wild."
In some cases, intervention can unintentionally create a situation where the outcome for the animal becomes far worse, he said.
"That doesn’t mean there should never be regulations or oversight. Public safety and animal welfare matter. But from a behavioural perspective, I don’t believe these situations are always as simple as “wolf-dog in a house equals dangerous,” said Donovan.
"I think the individual animal, the owners’ level of responsibility, and the environment all need to be carefully evaluated before major decisions are made," he said.
Furoy said she believes any dog can be unpredictable, and that Onyx has been socialized and raised around people, just like a regular dog.
“I know a lot of dogs that have bitten children and turned on their owners. My dog’s never done that.”
The results of the DNA analysis are expected to come back in the coming weeks.
