Of Robins, Wolves, Mice, and the "Flat Earth Society"
In spite of overwhelming evidence that the earth was round, presented
by Aristotle in his book, On the Heavens, there were many who were not
readily willing to accept this fact because of previously held "convictions".
They met regularly to discuss the "evidence" that the earth was still flat
and argued that it could not have suddenly "become" round. Obviously (to
us) the "Flat Earth Society" people were missing the point! The earth did
not suddenly "become" round, but "always" was round, and was just then
recognized as such. What does all this have to do with wolves and dogs?
A similar situation is currently occurring, with members of the "Big Bad
Wolf Society" reluctant to accept the reappraisal of the lupus species
by the American Society of Mammalogists whom adhere to the Code of the
International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature. They feel that the
wolf and the dog cannot suddenly "overnight" "become" the same species,
but they too are missing the point; and they should know better!
The difference between you and a robin is species. Scientifically a
species is a category of living organisms that cannot produce fertile offspring
with a different category of living organisms (another "species"). By the
very definition of species, "wolfdogs" would not exist and reproduce among
themselves, if wolves were a different species than dogs. The 1994 Journal
of Mammalogy recently "divorced" an Italian "species" of mouse, (Rodeneia
arvicolidae) microtus savaii, into two separate species of mouse due to
the infertility of their male "hybrid" offspring. The "species" had been
isolated on separate European peninsulae, and when reunited in modern times
could no longer produce fertile male offspring, hence requiring for each
group of mouse, a distinct species rank. Not enough time has passed, and
wolves and dogs have not been reproductively isolated enough for dogs to
evolve into a separate species from wolves. It is probably more likely
that "teacup" poodles will become a separate species from all giant dogs
and wolves (reproductive isolation by virtue of inability to naturally
reproduce!!) than that large dogs will ever become a separate species from
wolves.
How the 'Wolf' Became the 'Dog', and the Dog Became Man's Best Friend
Why does the "Big Bad Wolf Society" exist? Is it simply resistance
to change or is it more? Ironically, the social behavior of humans is closer
to that of wolves than to that of primates such as chimpanzees or gorillas;
yet of all the predators, we have singled out the wolf as the greatest
threat to humans. We have "teddy-bears" and "care-bears". Why don't we
have "teddy-wolves" and "care-wolves"? It may be the very similarity of
wolves to humans that frightens us and incites us to distance ourselves
from wolves through myth and religion. like humans, the "real" wolf co-operates
with members of its own group led by a dominant individual, shares the
responsibility of raising young within the group, defends a territory,
uses sign language to ensure silence during a hunt, sometimes kills more
than it can eat, and is known to kill its own kind. Early human hunter/gatherers
learned from and imitated the wolf, respected its great intelligence, strength,
acute senses, and most important of all, its ability to hunt as a co-operative
unit in order to bring down "food"/prey larger than itself. These are exactly
the skills that make a good hunter/gatherer!
With the advent of agriculture and the domestication of animals, the wolf became a competitor rather than a mentor and a comrade. The transition from hunter/gatherer to "agriculturist" (farmer) was difficult for some. Farming requires planning ahead and staying put. Hunting and gathering require a spontaneous nomadic lifestyle. The presence of the wolf reminded the early humans of the wilderness, their previous nomadic lifestyle, and all that they had given up. The wolf represented the untamed qualities within them, a momentary loss of control. Emerging religion likened the "loss of control" to sex and the devil, hence the beginning of the connection between the wolf and "the devil". While the hunter's companion was the wolf, the farmer's companion was "turning into" the "dog". The farmers were supposed to "give up" the wolf and "wolfish ways" in order to become successful farmers. It became necessary to vilify the wolf, to emphasize control and domination of the wilderness, including the wolf.
The stories created to support these views are called myths. They represent
what was happening to man at that point in history from his point of view.
The Native Americans and the hunter/gatherers saw themselves as part of
the animal kingdom. The farmers saw themselves as separate and above it
and controlling it from the "outside". The stories/myths that propelled
us to hunt would no longer do in an agricultural society; new myths were
born. The wolf became the "villain/devil"; the "dog" became "man's best
friend".
The Real Little Red Riding Hood
The prejudice against the wolf is entrenched and ancient, hence difficult
to evict. Given that the human imagination relishes villains and monsters,
I suggest that the real monsters are us and propose a rewrite of Little
Red Riding Hood as follows:
"Big Bad Wolf Society" Drags Paws on "Wolf" Rabies Vaccine Acknowledgment
According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Code
of Federal Regulations Title 9 (CFR9), Section 113.209, rabies vaccines
are tested and approved according to species. Members of the "Big Bad Wolf
Society" had previously used the supposed disparity of the wolf and dog
"species" to prevent lupine-like canines from receiving the rabies vaccine.
This excuse no longer exists. Wolves, "wolfdogs", and "dogs" (all being
members of the lupus species) were cleared to receive the rabies vaccine
when the "beagle member" of the lupus species was tested and approved.
Members of the "Big Bad Wolf Society" are slow in acknowledging this "new"
group of approved canines. If membership in species is appropriate to exclude
an animal from receiving a rabies vaccine, it is appropriate to include
an animal to receive a rabies vaccine. One cannot generalize the efficacy
of the rabies vaccine from the "beagle member" of the lupus species to
some members of the lupus species but not to others, hence the "Dog" on
the label of the currently approved rabies vaccine implicitly includes
wolves and "wolfdogs". This implicit connection needs to be made explicit
in order to achieve full vaccination of the population of 2.5 million wolfdogs
and thousands of "endangered" wolves in frequent contact with humans in
homes and facilities across the United States.
In a time when rabies is epidemic throughout much of the nation and
baited vaccines are being air-dropped to wilderness areas, to not immediately
call for the vaccination of 2.5 million companion canines is hypocritical,
foolhardy, and advertises that the concern for the preservation of the
"Big Bad Wolf" mythology is far greater than that for public health.
Dog, the Predator
In Solon, Iowa (Sept. 1992) a renegade black chow dog loose on a school-yard
during school hours, attacked four children and an adult who tried to intervene.
It was shot dead by a police officer.
In Geneseo, Illinois (Jan. 1994) a collie-shepherd cross killed a six year-old girl in her bedroom. Though she had grown up with the dog, she was attacked at the neck. The dog had no prior history of aggressive behavior and no explanation could be found for the attack.
In Greenwich, New York an 82 year-old woman was attacked and mauled to death by two mastiff dogs as she went to borrow a cup of sugar from her neighbors. The mastiffs weighed over 150 pounds each and had no prior history of attacks.
The September 1989 Journal of the American Medical Association reports 183 deaths by dogs over a recent 10 year period. Most victims were children or very old adults, those least able to defend themselves, hence most vulnerable to any predator. Pit bulls caused 42 percent of the fatalities. Pit bulls were bred to fight to the death with other dogs and to ignore pain. The award for the most non-fatal bites goes to cocker spaniels and chow dogs. Next on the list of fatal bites were German shepherds at 9; huskies at 7; malamutes at 6; Doberman pinschers, rottweillers, and wolfdogs at 5; Great Danes and Saint Bernards at 4. The rest are hounds, bulldogs, chows, cocker spaniels, labs, retrievers, boxers, and English sheepdogs.
According to Public Health Reports (1983), some of the most gruesome and horrifying deaths have been caused by packs of feral dogs (those allowed to roam at will). These dogs, regarding human beings as potential prey, have pulled children off bicycles, chased them down, ripped off their clothes, killed and partially consumed them! In one case six dogs of beagle, dachshund, and terrier breeds (all small dogs) killed and partially consumed an 81 year-old woman!
Other small dogs have killed people. Pediatrics (1982) reports of a Yorkshire terrier that killed a child. Public Health Reports (1977) reports of a dachshund that killed a 7 month-old boy when the mother left them alone together momentarily. A pit bull and a German shepherd killed seven gazelles at the Miami Metro zoo. There is no want of "predatory" behavior displayed by the dogs described here.
The president of the American Veterinary Medical Association's Committee on the Human-Animal Bond terms dog bites the number one health problem in the United States. Nearly two percent of all children between the ages of five and nine years are bitten annually. The deaths caused by pet dogs exceeds the deaths caused by rabies transmitted by all other animals combined! There are about two deaths per 1000 dog bites, and over one billion dollars is spent annually on cosmetic surgery, medical bills, and lawsuits resulting from dog attacks. Most of the 74 deaths from dog attacks reported by the 1982 Journal of Pediatrics were by single pet dogs without a preceding history of viciousness and without known provocation by the victim.
With a record like this, perhaps the "Big Bad Wolf Society" should consider changing its name to the "Big (and Small) Bad Dog Society"!