Couple adopt ‘big dog’ from kennels but startled vets say it’s something else

Couple adopt ‘big dog’ from kennels but startled vets say it’s something else

The couple wanted to welcome a new dog into their home after their German Shepherd passed away due to illness – but unknowingly brought a wolfdog home from the rescue shelter

They unknowingly adopted a wolfdog
They unknowingly adopted a wolfdog

Adopting a rescue dog is a huge commitment – especially when you don’t know much about their background.

A woman has revealed how her parents accidentally adopted a wolf-dog hybrid from a kennels thinking it was just a ‘big dog’.

Speaking to Tumblr, the woman explained that her parents welcomed a new pet into their home after her mum’s German Shepherd, Cops, passed away due to illness.

She said: “After mourning for a bit, mum and dad decided to get a dog together, as a couple.

“So they went to Palo Alto Animal Shelter to adopt. The year was 1987, and at the time, Palo Alto was not a great place.

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They named her Mazel
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Image:

Getty Images/EyeEm)

“Once they got there, and mum explains that she’s always had a preference for big dogs, the guy’s face lights up.

“He said ‘we have a big dog for experienced owners, adoptable today, we’ll give you a discount even’.

“Somehow my parents were not suspicious about this.”

After meeting the 100lbs animal, they instantly fell in love and signed the paperwork to take her home.

They named her Mazel, short for ‘Mazel Tov,’ and made their way home with their new four-legged friend.

“Cops had lived with his kibble stored in a plastic garbage can in the garage for six years without incident,” she added.

“Mazel figured out how to open doors and got the locking lid off the can within six minutes, chomping down about four pounds of the stuff before my mother notices that it’s been weirdly quiet.

“Most dogs bark at or chase squirrels. Mazel stalked and caught one on her second day, presenting it to my mother like an offering.

“Mazel knew all her commands but would clearly stop to consider before obeying and trained my dad to give her good treats within a week.

“The locks on the side yard gate were undone, and she took a stroll around the neighbourhood but always returned home for dinner.”

After realising Mazel was much smarter than any other dog they’d ever cared for, her mum decided to take her to the vets for a routine check up.

It was only at this point when she learnt the truth about her rescue dog.

She said: “Dr Hamada walked into the exam room, dropped the clipboard and said ‘Where the Hell did you get a wolf?’

“After a bit of prodding and a very angry Dr Hamada calling the pound, they determined Mazel was a high-content hybrid, probably with a husky but was going to be a little s*** her entire life.”

As an experienced dog owner, her mum decided to keep Mazel and everything was going smoothly until she fell pregnant two years later.

“Mazel noticed instantly and reacted by digging a large hole in the yard and catching even more squirrels for my mum because she needed the protein or something,” she added.

“On the advice of my grandmother, my mum stayed overnight at the hospital once I was delivered and dad went home with a shirt that had mum’s and my scent on it.

“Mazel spent the whole night puzzling over it. The next morning when my mum came home with me, there was this sudden instantaneous recognition of ‘puppy’.

“Mazel turned into the most aggressively maternal being I’ve ever met. Playing with me on the blanket, sitting under my chair at meals, sleeping under my crib, teaching me to walk by letting me hang on to her fur and shuffle around.

The family continued to ignore the vet’s advice to say their goodbyes to their wolfdog now a baby was in the home – but they tried to explain how Mazel was helping out with the babysitting.

“Dr Hamada thought my mum was a madwoman until he saw me holding Mazel’s mouth open and sticking my face in so I could look at her teeth. He gave up when my mum announced she was pregnant with my sister,” she said.

Mazel died in her sleep at the age of 19, leaving the family heartbroken but thankful for the years they spent with her.

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