The NAPRP Blog

Jun 19

Written by: NAPRP Admin
6/19/2009 5:08 AM

This week here in Idaho there was a big controversy about a store which has wolves (actually probably really wolf hybrids) on display in cages. During a tour, one of the "wolves" bit a 6-year old child who stuck her arm through the chain link.

Personally, I detest the place and the people who own it for a lot of reasons. But my personal opinion aside, this incident brings up a lot of issues that may affect people in rescue too.

1. Insurance. If one of your animals bites someone, are you adequately insured? Whether it's a dog, cat, wolf, or ferret, bite statistics are scary. Talk to your insurance company to make sure you're covered. In this case, the child was apparently surrounded by at least 20 people none of whom seemed to notice when she put her hand through the fence. No matter how much supervision there is kids will do potentially dumb and dangerous things. In this case, plexiglass or a double fence would have prevented this incident. Don't cheap out on safety or insurance. Rescues and shelters have been shut down because of lawsuits.

2. Rabies regulations. There is no approved rabies vaccine for wolves or wolf hybrids. According to state law, the dog that bit the child is either going to have to be quarantined or euthanized. If you have a hybrid in your rescue, can you deal with that liability? What are the rabies vaccination laws in your area? Can you adopt a dog that can't really be vaccinated? Also in some areas, people who own hybrids can't get homeowner's insurance. The problems aren't limited to wolves either. Recently, someone called me because her much-loved ferret was going to have to be euthanized after it bit a child. I had no answers for her. It's vital to understand the laws related to rabies vaccination in your state.

3. Bad karma. This store has prior lawsuits and a lot of bad mojo that is all resurfacing because of the current controversy. Comments from people on the local news Web site are also revealing past unsafe incidents other people have experienced. Remember that thanks to the Internet, everything you do or have ever done is probably archived somewhere. Contrary to the old saying, not all publicity is good publicity. Keep your nose clean and make sure all of your dealings with the press and legal system are as professional and above board as possible. After all, what goes around comes around!

As always, thank you for all you do to help the animals ;-)

~ Susan Daffron
Founder & President, NAPRP
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