Owning a wolfdog hybrid has long been a contentious issue because owners often fail to provide the right environment for their physical and mental development. Most people who bring home a wolfdog expect their pet to look like a wolf but behave like a dog. But that is rarely the case.

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Predicting whether the hybrid will act like a domesticated dog or a wild wolf with very demanding socializing needs is impossible. Inevitably, as they grow, they can become unpredictable and sometimes too much for their owners to handle. This was the case for Yuki’s owner, who left him to die at a kill shelter when he was eight months old. But wolfdog Yuki survived and went on to live for 13 years. Let’s read his story and learn more about his quirky personality.

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.“Baby” Yuki with volunteer Patsy! Yuki was about 8 months old in these 2008 photos. Image credit: Shy Wolf Sanctuary/Facebook

Yuki was saved from being euthanized by Shy Wolf Sanctuary, an organization in Naples, Florida, that provides refuge to wolves, wolfdogs, and exotic canine species.

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At the sanctuary, he was categorized as “high content,” meaning most of his physical, behavioral, and biological traits were wolf-like.

Yuki was 87.5% gray wolf. Image credit: Shy Wolf Sanctuary/Facebook

Initially, caretakers were impressed with his outgoing personality and planned to make him a wolfdog ambassador. Yuki enjoyed all the attention from the volunteers and even attended a scout meeting as a prelude to becoming an ambassador. But soon, the wolf in Yuki began to show, and caretakers discovered his unpredictable personality had many triggers.

He was a wolf who couldn’t stand to hear “No!” Any form of restraint and control triggered him, and he was highly territorial of his enclosure. Only the few female volunteers that he loved were allowed into his enclosure, or as the volunteers called it, his “harem.”

Yuki has a strong bond with a senior volunteer at the sanctuary named Judy. Image credit: Shy Wolf Sanctuary/Facebook

Given his temperament, It was no surprise when a DNA test conducted in 2018 revealed that Yuki was 87.5 percent gray wolf, 8.6 percent Siberian husky, and 3.9 percent German shepherd.

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Despite Yuki’s challenging behavior and traits, he developed a strong and beautiful bond with a few female volunteers and was dedicated to his partner, Bella.

Yuki with a volunteer in 2012. Image credit:  Shy Wolf Sanctuary

At 120 pounds, Yuki was huge but not exceptionally large – slightly larger than an average big dog.

When pictures of Yuki began circulating on the Internet in 2012, people were surprised and amused by his size. Yuki got a second chance at stardom in 2019 when volunteer Brittany Allen posted a photo on Reddit illustrating the size difference between the wolfdog and Brittany.

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This happened around the time the final season of Game of Thrones was being aired. The show often featured dire wolves, an extinct species of large canines, so netizens nicknamed Yuki the “Dire Wolf,” and he became an overnight sensation.

Yuki with Brittany Allen in 2019, the photo that made Yuki a star. Image credit: Shy Wolf Sanctuary

However, some people weren’t convinced and doubted that Yuki was as large as he appeared in the photo. They suggested that the image had been Photoshopped. Although Allen denied the accusations, she clarified that the angle did make Yuki appear larger than he was in reality.

Nonetheless, Yuki was massive and could stand up 5 feet 6 inches on his hind legs.

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Yuki at Shy Wolf Sanctuary, posing with volunteers. Image credit: Shy Wolf Sanctuary

Yuki was diagnosed with hemangiosarcoma, a highly invasive blood cancer in canines. Though the sanctuary was informed that Yuki didn’t have very long to live, he survived for three years with help from immune supplements.

On November 12, 2020, when Yuki, who was now 13 years old, didn’t show up for his medication, workers entered his enclosure and found he had passed away in the middle of the night.

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In a post announcing Yuki’s death, Shy Wolf Sanctuary honored him as the wolfdog whose “legacy reaches around the world due to his unique personality and size.”

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Even after Shy Wolf Sanctuary stopped promoting Yuki after his passing, fans worldwide continue to remember and read about him. The sanctuary continues to receive messages from people asking permission to use his photos.