A dog identified as being part wolf and living in an animal shelter got a happy ending when his adoption went through to a loving family, according to an exclusive report by Newsweek.
Four-year-old rescue animal Zeus, believed to be one-third German Shephard, one-third Husky, and one-third wolf, was adopted by Vermont resident Ron Monroe this month. Monroe said his “heart melted” at first sight.
“As soon as I saw him in person my heart melted,” Monroe said to Newsweek. “He is such a sweet boy.”
Newsweek noted that the adoption was made difficult as a result of Zeus’s unique genealogy. Keeping pure wolves as pets is illegal in the United States, and some states take it a step further by even banning the ownership of hybrid animals. Newsweek wrote:
It is illegal to keep pure wolves as pets in the U.S. and they are protected under endangered wildlife species regulations. It is also illegal to own wolf-dog hybrids in many states—something which presented a problem when it came to re-homing Zeus.
The Federal Animal Welfare Act defines wolf-dogs as domestic animals under the same regulations as other breeds. But each state has its own policy on the animals.
Nevertheless, the adoption went through and Zeus was rescued from a Rhode Island shelter and placed permanently in his new home with Monroe.
The former home of Zeus, Potter League for Animals, was in contact with Newsweek as well. A representative from the organization said that the animal was surrendered last month from a former owner. She also noted that Rhode Island and surrounding states make it illegal to own such an animal.
“He was surrendered to us on December 22 by his former owner who clearly loved him dearly, but whose personal circumstances changed and he could no longer care for Zeus,” Kara Montalbano said. “His former owner informed us that Zeus came from a breeder that breeds hybrids and he was told and believed he was a mix of German shepherd, husky, and wolf. We are awaiting DNA results to confirm, however if he is a hybrid, they are not legal to privately own in Rhode Island and the surrounding states.”
Potter League for Animals nevertheless made pleas on social media to help find Zeus a new home.
“Zeus is illegal to privately own in Rhode Island and the surrounding states. Additionally, Zeus does have a medical condition making him prone to seizures which is managed by medication,” a post on Facebook read.
“He has lived with other dogs, cats, and kids, and most of his life has been that of an indoor dog, which makes sanctuary placement unsuitable,” it continued. “There are a handful of states that he is legal to own, and we really need your help to reach those states. Vermont & New Jersey are the closest to us, but that is not to preclude other states further away that allow hybrids to be privately owned.”
Finally, this past Saturday, an update was posted sharing the part-dog, part-wolf canine had found a new home.
“Zeus is great! He is affectionate, smart, gentle. He can be a bit anxious and really enjoys constant companionship. However, he is large at over 100lbs and can easily scale a 6 foot fence and has, so we knew a home that could enrich and exercise him physically and mentally would be essential to his overall well-being,” the post read. “Ron drove down on Saturday, met Zeus, spent some time with him, and as they say, the rest is history. It was a great match and we were absolutely thrilled.”
Speaking about his new furry companion, Monroe acknowledged there had already been some ups and downs.
“He loves to snuggle at night to sleep and loves playing outdoors in the snow,” he said, before adding: “He does have a lot of anxiety issues and needs lots of attention and love.”
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