#that you're going to inspire someone esle to get one and then some bas shit happens

[blackbackedjackal]

How do you feel about coydogs? There’s a surprising amount of them in Oregon and I’m never sure how to react

As pets? Not a fan, especially in the current exotic pet climate. They vary wildly in personality and temperament so there's no standard to predict how they'll respond to different environments and stimuli. Wolfdogs and ranched foxes have already gotten out of hand and I just see coyotes/coydogs going down a similar path if they became more mainstream. It's not that every coydog owner is bad or that there aren't coydogs that have been proven to do will in domestic settings, I just personally find it irresponsible. You can be as informative and educational as you want but the issue is perception and promotion. Seeing someone own a coydog will make other people want them, and again, with so much variation in their health and temperaments you're more likely going to end up with bad situations than positive ones. There's also the whole issue of intentionally breeding them, as coyotes bred in captivity have been proven time and time again to not do well even after just a few generations. Could it be done correctly? Sure. Is it likely [see general wolfdog and fox discourse].

On the other hand, the actual distribution of dog genetics into the wild populations has been fascinating to see. Coyotes with recent dog ancestry seem to hold onto many dog-like traits. I'm helping with a formal study about how these traits have effected certain population's behaviors, coat colors/textures, anatomical differences between populations, and possibly even dietary preferences. It also varies region to region and depends on what breeds were mixed in as well! It seems to be beneficial in certain populations, but again this is dog genetics being randomly introduced and selective pressures favoring those traits in the wild, not them being intentionally bred.

#ask #again that's just my opinion after fumbling with the idea for several years #I personally don't like the idea of them in private ownership/pet situations #like even when people leave disclaimers there's always the chance #that you're going to inspire someone esle to get one and then some bas shit happens #and that's incredibly unfair to the animal(s) involved #i mean shit that's how SAF started she wanted pet foxes so badly she started a non-profit to funnel money to feed her glorified #animal hoarding problem