DNR confirms dog likely killed by wolf in Brookston area

A representative from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) confirmed a dog was likely killed by wolf on Sunday, April 13, on a hunter-walking trail just east of Brookston, Minnesota. Joe Albert, a communications coordinator with the DNR, said a 52-pound husky was off-leash and walking a distance ahead of its owner.

“The owner did not hear anything, but came across what she identified as a wolf,” explained Albert. “The wolf wandered off when it saw her, and then she found the dog dead on the trail.”

The conservation officer observed that injuries were consistent with those made by a wolf and, although they did not see the wolf personally, said they had no reason to believe that it was anything other than a wolf.

This followed another recent incident, reported to the DNR, where a person was walking their dogs and was approached by a young wolf who put its mouth around the upper leg of one of the dogs. The owner yelled and the wolf ran away. There were no puncture wounds or visible injuries to the dog, in this case.

The DNR offers more general information on wolves and how to keep pets safe here.