We all love our pups. However, did you know that their once was a specific breed that was outlawed in Maine?

It was once very illegal to own a wolf dog in Maine.

A wolf hybrid is any dog resulting from breeding with a wolf, but this can be tricky, because so many dogs have some wolf throughout their ancestry.

John Kelley from the Maine Office of Policy and Legal Analysis suggests that a dog is typically considered a wolf hybrid if there's direct breeding with wolves.

Up until 1995, you were prohibited to own a Wolf Dog Hybrid, but as of that year, Maine passed a law (Maine PL 1995 c. 409) to regulate wolf hybrids, which would require the dogs to be licensed.

The law makes the owner have a license for Wolf Hybrids at six months or older. Owners with multiple animals can get a kennel license instead, according to Maine's Wolf Hybrid Law. 

At first, the law included a vaccination requirement, but it was removed due to uncertainty about the vaccine's effectiveness on wolf hybrids, which might give a false sense of protection. So, that is unlike our other "normal dogs."

Prohibition. Except as provided in subsection 2, a person may not keep a wolf hybrid in the State unless that person holds a valid permit to possess wildlife in captivity issued by the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife under Title 12, section 12152. – The Maine State Legislature. 

 

My opinion on Wolf Hybrids

These dogs are absolutely gorgeous. I did some research on their behavior because that's important, and what I found was very interesting.

Did you know that a wolf hybrid's temperament is surprisingly shy, according to WebMD, so they would not make good protection dogs? Additionally, experts say they tend to be neophobic, which means they're afraid of new things. This trait can make them easily stressed, potentially affecting their physical and mental well-being.