Wolf hybrid tranquilized after attacking dog

LACEY, Wash. – An aggressive wolf hybrid escaped from its owner’s kennel Friday, attacked a German shepherd dog and scaled an 8-foot and a 6-foot fence before it was contained and tranquilized in a neighbor’s yard, the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office said.

Deputies were prepared to shoot the 140-pound animal, if it got out of the fenced yard, but they did everything they could to avoid killing it, Lt. Greg Elwin said.

The owner was able to lure it into a portable kennel with raw meat. The animal ripped the door off the portable kennel and was chewing its way out through plastic sides, so deputies and the owners reinforced it with plywood.

Fortunately, a state Fish and Wildlife agent arrived and shot the animal with a tranquilizer gun so it could be moved back into its permanent kennel.

The Sheriff’s Office is recommending the county prosecutor file a charge of allowing a dangerous animal to be at large.

The German shepherd that was attacked is OK.

It’s legal to own the hybrid, although it’s described as 98 percent wolf, Elwin said.

It’s one of three wolf hybrids kept by the owner.

“It appears all three have been working on their enclosure for some time,” Elwin said.