Shelter Dog Wouldn't Stop Growing, So the Vet Performed a DNA Test

Continuing to Grow

They were still waiting for the DNA test results to come back while they tried to get closer to the dog. They wanted to learn more about Yuki the dog since they knew that this would help them understand his behavior better. And, most importantly, it would help them figure out why he kept getting bigger and bigger. He was actually bigger than any other dog they had rescued before.

And when the results finally came in, they quickly found out that their fears were true. They finally acquired the proof they needed that Yuki wasn't a normal dog.

Yuki the Wolfdog

Finally, Nancy and Kent understood what made Yuki so special when they reviewed the results. He did have some dog DNA, including Siberian Husky and German Shepherd genes, but he wasn't 100% a dog. In fact, less than half of his DNA was made up of these genes from Siberian Huskies and German Shepherds. Grey wolf made up the other 87.5% of his DNA.

With this information, Kent and Nancy were able to make it clear that Yuki was not Yuki the dog anymore. He was Yuki the wolf dog, not Yuki the dog. And all of a sudden, everything made sense.

A Tricky Situation

The workers at Shy Wolf Sanctuary now realized why Yuki's first owner had to give him up for adoption after thinking about this information. Wolfdogs are not pets very commonly, and even people who want to make them pets generally fail at the first try since they are not social and don't trust people. So, Yuki's first owner was waging a losing war that he would never have won, even if he had tried for a long time.

This put the crew in a very tough spot, of course. What were they going to do with Yuki? Could they make him a pet? Or would they have to send him somewhere else?

Giving Him a Chance

The people who work at the Shy Wolf Sanctuary thought long and hard about it and decided to give Yuki the wolfdog a chance. He had always been in a setting that made him uncomfortable, and they wondered if they could domesticate him a little bit if they put him in the appropriate place and did the necessary research. It is possible to tame wolfdogs, but most of the time, the odds are very low.

Even though they could have failed, the team worked hard to provide Yuki the space he needed. They let him walk around their wonderful building and checked on him to show that not all people are bad.

Part of the Family

They could certainly tell that their hard work was starting to pay off after a few weeks. Yuki adored being allowed to run free like a wolfdog, but he was also getting used to the people who worked at the shelter. Even though he weighed 120 pounds and was nearly five feet long, he still liked to perch on the laps of his favorite women.

At the Shy Wolf Sanctuary, he had become a part of the family. He wasn't totally tamed yet, but he seemed to get along well with the other creatures that lived there.

A Social Media Legend

Yuki had been misunderstood for a long time, but the Shy Wolf Sanctuary let him be himself, and the staff adored him for it. They loved him so much that they decided to tell his story on their social media accounts. They told their friends and followers about the wolfdog's comings and goings, and fans quickly fell in love with him too.

He even became famous on social media! He had loyal followers who wanted to know everything there was to know about the wolfdog. This even led to his own line of products.