Comment on Anon pets a dog

• Talentlesssculptor@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

  If you mean 3 out of 4 facts: “Individual weights can vary from 32 kilograms (71 lb) to 60 kilograms (130 lb).” Which is well within the range of a large dog.

  “A wolf that has left its pack may travel up to 500 km (310.7 mi) to breed.” en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interior_Alaskan_wolf

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• Talentlesssculptor@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

  What?

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  • acockworkorange@mander.xyz ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    "A wolf is a

    1. "massive animal,
    2. "usually not white,
    3. "usually in packs, and
    4. "usually skittish or downright aggressive.

    Still 3 strong reasons the story is more likely to be fake.

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    • Talentlesssculptor@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Dude, the article I linked literally mentions solitary wolves walking more than 500 km in search of a mate. Sure they “usually” move in packs, but that is what makes this story unusual, not impossible.

      “Massive” is relative. To a child a 30 kg dog is massive.

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    • porous_grey_matter@lemmy.ml ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      They are not bigger than big dogs, they aren’t always in packs, and they’re skittish yeah but not usually that aggressive. This story could well be fake but it’s perfectly plausible.

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      • Whats_your_reasoning@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        It probably helps that OP wasn’t scared. He didn’t act like a prey animal and flee, which can trigger hunting instincts. I also can’t help but wonder if the wolf recognized a human child as being “young.” I know dogs can do that - I’ve seen them change behavior around tiny humans and tolerate things from them that they wouldn’t tolerate from adults. Granted, domesticated dogs have had many generations to acclimate themselves to us, but I wouldn’t be surprised if a wild wolf recognized that OP was a “human puppy” and not a significant threat.

        Also, OP had food, and considering the wolf went right for the pop tart when it was thrown, it’s possible such a sociable, intelligent creature was playing nice in hopes of being given some all along.

        Who knows? I’d say it’s definitely a plausible story. If the story had been about a mountain lion, I’d have my doubts. But wolves don’t usually go out of their way to antagonize humans. If some of them were able to be domesticated long ago, the same traits that brought them close to humans in the first place may still exist in the wild population.

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