Cooooool:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCfKBu6Bl4s

and

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FzxXK4yPmY

*growl*!

That's so cool, dude! It goes to show that with a little love there can be a special bond between humans and ANY animal.

Man, I've always wanted a pet wolf!
That, or a tiger

The problem with animals like that is that you never know when they might turn on you though, no matter how cute they are now...

when the bunnies are gone and we get a house,, we're getting a serval
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serval

I want an exotic pet so badly. I entertained idea of getting a huge snake, but my landlord told me that it'd have to sleep outside.

Don't these exotic snake owner stories always end the same way?  "He was found lying dead on the floor, his body still coiled around tightly, with his tongue sticking profusely out of his mouth."

Those wolf videos frightened me, too.  I'm not a dog person by nature, firstly, but the way those badboys were growling with one another, though playful it might have been..... I just couldn't help but think they could suddenly turn on one another violently, or worse, against their owners.  Even if it were the former, the owners are in such close proximity that how could they NOT get hurt?

Well, those people in the videos were playing with them. As people who own wolves, they'd have to know the risks before being that intimate with an animal like that. They either really know what they're doing, or they're really dumb. Either way, it's still cool.

You don't like dogs, by the way? For some reason, I always pegged you as a dog lover. You just full of surprises, you know that?

You're new here, aren't you? Angie's a big cat lover, IIRC. Sekito, or what was his name?

Well, newer than most of you guys, but still been around these parts for a good five years, at the very least.

I did know about the cat. Don't mean you can't like dogs, too. Just came as a legitimate surprise.

Then, you don't know me all that well, I'd say.  My partner in crime and buddy for life:

http://www.geocities.com/angie_liu201/0 … ics01.html

Yeah, I agree. As cute as wolves can be, they're still "wild at heart", and something else than just "another big dog breed". If I'd have to venture a guess, though, I think they're probably "less dangerous" than many other wild predators to have as pets, as they have a very strong pack instinct which can be tapped into (being very genetically close to domesticated dogs). Also, those people in the videos run some sort of rescued wolf farm out in the wilderness, so I assume they have the proper training/experience to handle them (plus the rural setting is probably good - an animal like the wolf should not be kept in an apartment in a city, it would just go crazy).

At the same time as I think people shouldn't have wolves as "pets", I can't but think it's unbelievably cool that they can bond with people like that. I'm a big dog lover myself, so I just melt when I see those videos.

Why would you think they would turn on another or their owners? Unlike people, wolves don't just go crazy and attack. If they were hurt, if they felt threatened... then yes, they might attack, but clearly that's not the case here. In fact, I think wolves are probably the most unjustly vilified animal. That being said, I would strongly urge people to NOT ever get a wolf-hybrid as a pet. I read a long article about them in National Geographic, and they are certainly gorgeous and majestic animals, but they are still wild. NOT wild in the sense that they might suddenly attack you, but they simply are not domesticated and don't communicate the same way dogs do (for instance, they won't just walk around the block with you, and they tend to actually be somewhat shy, and they love their freedom).

Gorgeous animals for certain! I hope the people in the video really know how to take care of them!
edit: OK, sounds like they run a wolf rescue shelter, so yeah, they know what they're doing

cheers,

-avatar!

My thoughts exactly Daniel! I agree on all counts

Now that's just crazy talk. Everyone is a dog person, those who think they're not just don't know it yet. If the wolves were too hardcore, check this out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXo3NFqkaRM

Tell that to Muffin, a local neighbor's poodle who used to chase me with disdain as I rode my bike on their block.  Or Jude, a Russell Terrier stray that a childhood friend found when we were twelve; took a lovely chomp out of my arm, resulting in a rabies shot.  Or to Maxie, a co-worker pal's boxer who, for some inexplicable reason, goes wild with rage every time I come to visit. ("It's strange," I'm told.  "He's usually not like this around other people.")

I think I'm very much like Elaine from Seinfeld.  Dogs.... they just don't like me.

You've just been burned by few bad seeds, honey. Don't base your opinion of the whole species on a few bad experiences. Just view it as another fear you have to conquer and turn around into something pleasant on your journey through life.

Yo, man. I had a dog chase me down an alley. I was lucky to be on my rollerblades at the time, but when I had lost the dog, I swerved to go onto the sidewalk, and ended up wiping out on gravel in front of two exceptionally good looking ladies. Damn you, dog!

I'm fine with dogs and cats both (and animals in general), although I've had far more cats in my life (I probably have more than I'm legally allowed right now).

Lately, though, the area I live in (suburban right on the edge of urban) has had coyotes, which  look pretty sleek and stylish but kill anything smaller than them and make the most unnerving yipping sounds when they pass through your neighborhood. Not a fan of them at all.

No child is born wicked, but there are a lot of wicked parents out there: likewise, no dog is born bad, but there are a lot of bad/irresponsible/ignorant dog-owners out there. In 95% of cases, you should probably damn the owner, not the dog.

Really? How many? Are we talking a cat-lady amount here? Also, I didn't know there were laws about how many cats one can have.

For the record, I do love cats as well, they're awesome. See here. I tend to favour canines, though, since I feel you can develop a much deeper bond with them. As soon as I manage to get my life on a more stable financial ground, I'm so getting a German Shepherd, they're awesome.

Love wolves. One of my favorite bands, Sonata Arctica uses them in a lot of their artwork, most likely to represent the idea of freedom and/or power.

Each album also has a song center on wolves as well:

Ecliptica (1999) - FullMoon (well, this is more about a werewolf)
Silence (2001) - Wolf & Raven
Winterheart's Guild (2003) - The Cage (about taking away freedom)
Reckoning Night (2004) - Ain't Your Fairytale (starts w/a wolf's growl)
Unia (2007) - The Vice (about dominance within a wolf pack)

Also have a few wolf nick-nacks like a few small statues and a blanket.

can't forget this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAdt1su974Q

I'm not going to say how many cats - they're all well taken care of and happy, but it's a number anyone will flinch at. I'm pretty sure there is no legal limit in my state (although some places do have such laws, I believe), but if there was, I'd be over it.

I certainly concede that dogs are more likely to form a deep bond with a human, but I've had some very attached cats as well. Most cats in my family have a favorite person, and one basically ignores everyone else but me and constantly wants to be with me, following me around and crying at me when he thinks I'm going to leave him behind.

My grandmother had a german shepherd for a while (it passed away about two years ago), very faithful and loving dog, if not the brightest in the world. Loved to tear apart toys, too, so if you do get one, take a careful look at anything you give it - no matter how sturdy something may seem, a dog can break it/rip it up if it tries hard enough, and anything swallowed could be potentially quite dangerous.

That's cool. Is it more than 130?

So... how exactly does this woman manage to provide for 130 cats in Siberia?! Is she related to the czar or something? and lastly, why? Not trying to stereotype, but I'm pretty confident I will never date a gal with more than one cat...

You're too judgmental, avatar!. You need to start giving people the benefit of a doubt.

I dunno if there'd even be room to question that. The woman in that video looks like she's on the wrong side of 50, anyways.