This Dog Breed is Illegal to Have in 12 States Including Illinois

I'm a huge dog lover! I have four of my own.

According to Forbes, dogs are the most popular pet in the U.S. with 65.1 million U.S. households owning a dog.

Do you have a favorite breed? Did you know that there is one breed that's actually illegal in 12 states?

While there are tons of great dogs and dog breeds, there is one type of breed that is illegal to own as a pet in 12 states! That breed – a wolfdog.

What is a wolfdog?

According to WolfPaws, a wolf-dog contains some wolf (Canis lupus) DNA and some domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris) DNA. Dogs and wolves share a common ancestor and almost identical DNA, and thus share many physical and behavioral traits.

Each wolfdog is an individual. Their personalities and temperaments depend on the amount of socialization they received early in life, the breeds of dogs in the animal (usually German Shepherd, Siberian Husky and/or Malamute), and the percentage or content of wolf vs. dog in them.

It’s illegal to keep a wolfdog hybrid as a pet in twelve states, including Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Wyoming, according to TheWildest.

TheWildest says many other states, wolfdog ownership is regulated at the county level, so local laws will determine if wolfdogs are legal. Wolfdogs are covered by local laws in Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin and several other states. Many states require a permit or mandate registration, require vaccinations, veterinary certificates, and confinement in specific kinds of cages.

While they are beautiful animals, they are rumored to be very high maintenance escape artists. Sadly, according to WolfPaws, almost 65% of all bought wolfdogs end up in a rescue or are euthanized by the age of three.

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