Canis: Page 7

I highly suspect that when people think “wolf” what they really mean is “dog”, since dogs are a much more accessible window of experience to the average person, and embody the traits people so quickly ascribe to wolves, such as loyalty, kindness, selflessness, and courage. Dogs are quite often second fiddle to the ferocity and intelligence of the wolf. For some reason. Wolves = dogs is a sad misconception, especially if you look at the number of rescues dedicated to wolf hybrids.

Dogs, if they are portrayed at all in wolf comics, are often antagonists, enemies that “cheat”. They are not capable of standing against a wolf or its pack without a sword or gun-wielding human at their back (preferably on horseback for extra cheating points.) It never seems to occur to anyone that many dog breeds like the mossolor (Roman mastiff ancestor of the Rottweiler and other heavy breeds), the boarhound, the wolfhound, and numerous other hunting breeds were bred to not only hold their own against a wolf and kill it, but actually to pin it down and keep it alive long enough for the human to get the pleasure of killing. As in, Mr. Ninja-Strike wolf not only can’t run away or wound his enemy enough to do so, but has to wait in the grip of it for the
human to trot up and end it.

Dogs are also treated as thought they’re “soft”, indolent and stupid because their instincts have been blunted living with man. This forgets completely that dogs served as protection against wolves long before any modern stuff like guns or even swords. Let alone that the domesticated dog has the highest morphological variation of any species on the planet, and has extreme specialization wherever its niche might be. Like, in say, wolf killing. While wolves are more intelligent and have stronger jaw power, their average weight is about 70-90 pounds. While any of the mossolor breeds start at 100 and top off at anywhere from 200-250 pounds.

That said, dogs are routinely killed and devoured by big time predators the world over, even in modern times, including wolves. Wyoming reports more damages in their dogs than livestock.

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