From being abandoned at a kill shelter to being rescued by a sanctuary, Yuki got a lucky second chance at life all because of the one thing that made him different than all other pet dogs. Little did anyone know, though, that this special and wondrous creature would soon be the one who saves the day.
Image via @brit_allen_ / IG
So, what made Yuki so special in the first place? It all started a little over a decade ago when he was just a pup.
More Than Your Everyday Pet
Back in the late 2000s, a family was excited to purchase and bring in an adorable little puppy to be their friendly fur baby. They had met with a breeder and felt like he was the perfect dog for them.
However, it wouldn’t be until they would take him home that they would realize that Yuki, the pup, was so much more than just your everyday pet.
Image via @brit_allen_ / IG
Turns out that Yuki is one of the more unique dog breeds out there, which means that his needs and care requirements were going to be just as special.
So Big, So Fast
Unless you’re a trained professional, sometimes it can be quite hard to determine just how big your pet might grow up to be, and for Yuki, he turned out to be much bigger than expected!
The family obtained the cute little Yuki as a puppy, but they had no idea he would grow up to be so big, so fast.
Image via @brit_allen_ / IG
It takes dogs about 18 months to grow into their full-size, but Yuki was less than a year old and seemed much larger than the average dog already!
A Change in Behavior
While Yuki grew up to be a beautiful and big canine, there were still some other odd qualities that the family started to take note of with their fur baby. Soon enough, Yuki’s owners realized that perhaps he wasn’t meant to be a domesticated dog after all.
His behavior seemed more aggressive and he was getting harder to handle, which led them to think that maybe Yuki wasn’t the dog for them after all.
Image via @brit_allen_ / IG
Yuki seemed to be such a cute canine, but, unfortunately, his owners decided that they weren’t capable of keeping up with the maintenance he needed.
Wolf-Like Habits
The family who adopted Yuki as a puppy didn’t just think he was too much to handle for them once he grew up. The older Yuki got, the more different he seemed to be than other pet dogs that they were familiar with.
Yuki definitely displayed some normal canine behavior throughout his upbringing, but over time, he also started to exhibit some unexpected wolf-like habits. And even though wolves are some incredible creatures, they can also be incredibly dangerous and are better off in the wild than being domesticated.
Image via @brit_allen_ / IG
So, what exactly were his owners going to do with the big and beautiful wolf-like canine?
Suspicions for Yuki’s Odd Behavior
The once adorable fur baby had grown up to be a larger, slightly more aggressive pup, and the owners were torn about what to do. They had suspicions that Yuki was a mix bred of some sort, but they started to think that maybe it wasn’t just a mix of other dogs – but rather another type of canine.
Image via @brit_allen_ / IG
And if their suspicions were correct, then that means that Yuki definitely wouldn’t be able to live with them at home. It wouldn’t be until they took him to a local shelter that their questions would finally be answered.
Yuki’s Backstory
Once Yuki had reached about 8 months old, they decided to take him to a local shelter. And from there, Yuki’s fate would forever be changed.
Brittany Allen, a senior Volunteer at Shywolf Sanctuary, told Beastly that “someone had obtained [Yuki] in some way, as a puppy. And they realized pretty quickly that he exhibits more wolf-like behavior, versus dog-like behavior. He ended up at a shelter, which basically wolf dogs – or any dog – that appears to be ‘wolfy’, they kind of are put first, to be euthanized.”
Screenshot from "Yuki The Giant Wolf Dog | BEAST BUDDIES" / Beastly / Youtube
Was it true? Was Yuki actually a wolf? And if so, what would the shelter do next?
Yuki’s DNA Results
It turns out that Yuki wasn’t just a dog after all – in fact, he was more wolf than dog. His DNA was a mix of three different canine types: 3.9% German Shepherd, 8.6% Siberian Husky, and 87.5% Gray Wolf. Talk about a wild combo!
Image via @brit_allen_ / IG
Even though his owners seemed to be right about the fact that he didn’t belong in their home, Yuki was still a good and happy pup. So if the shelter was meant to put wolf-dogs to rest, did that mean Yuki’s fate was meant to be the same?
Yuki’s Rescue
Just when Yuki had hit an all-time low of being abandoned at the kill shelter, it turns out that someone had notified the Shywolf Sanctuary that Yuki the dog was in need of some help.
Little did everyone know, that the fact that he was mostly wolf would actually be the reason for his rescue.
Screenshot from "Yuki The Giant Wolf Dog | BEAST BUDDIES" / Beastly / Youtube
“He became too much for his owner and was dropped off at a high kill shelter. The shelter called us and gave us a chance to evaluate. Yuki was very obviously a high content wolf-dog so we were able to pull him and give him a home in our sanctuary,” Shywolf Sanctuary’s Director Jeremy Albrecht shared with Insider.
