Female wolf spayed in Washington

The wolf was impregnated after encountering a domesticated sheep dog


 By Rich Landers

The saga of wolf recovery in Washington has taken a strange twist.

A large domestic guard dog that took a month-long romp on the wild side in Pend Oreille County forced Washington Fish and Wildlife officials to capture and spay an endangered female gray wolf Saturday.

The wolf was one of two females in the new Ruby Creek Pack that biologists have been tracking with GPS collars since July.

The unusual action came after biologists learned an Akbosh sheep dog climbed a 7-foot-tall fence from its yard near Ione and disappeared with the two female wolves for more than a month during February when wolves go into heat.

“If there had been a male wolf in the group, the dog would have been killed instantly,” Martorello said.

Biologists easily tracked the GPS signal and used a helicopter to shoot tranquilizers and capture the wolves. One female was pregnant; the other was not, he said. Both were released in the Pend Oreille River area.

“Spaying (the pregnant wolf) was a better alternative than trying to go out and kill all the pups after they’re born,” he said.

The dog had run off with the wolves for about a week in early January, but biologists were able to monitor the wolves and tell the dog’s owner when they were back near the home. The homeowner was able to call the dog in.

“We were already suspicious,” Martorello said. “Dogs and wolves usually don’t mix.”

Wildlife officials advised the dog owner to restrain the dog for the rest of the winter. While dogs can come into heat throughout the year, wolves generally come into estrus only in January and February, Martorello said.

“But when those females came back in a few days, one must have been in estrus because that big, intact dog climbed a seven-foot orchard fence and took off with them from mid-January through February,” he said.

copyrighted wolf in river

10 thoughts on “Female wolf spayed in Washington

  1. I hope the anti-wolf crowd doesn’t see this as another way to reduce the wolf population – leave your intact male dogs in the woods during January and February.

  2. This guard dog ran away TWICE with the wolves. He obviously is not performing his job while he is busy breeding the wolves that he is supposed to be guarding the livestock from. So, how is it that everyone concerned felt the most logical course of action was to dart the female wolves from a helicopter and spay the pregnant one, rather than neuter the domestic dog, who by the way, will be be back to breeding the intact female wolves next year?
    This operation is costing taxpayers thousands of dollars because this rancher won’t neuter his guard dog that is of no use to him anyway as long as he has his balls????
    I’ve read a few different articles about this story and I keep hoping that I am missing some important facts and that people are really not this illogical.

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