The man saved a male wolf pup and raised it as a pet
Adopting a wolf is not quite like adopting a dog, but this man could not help himself when he had the opportunity to adopt an orphaned wolf pup that was only a few weeks old.
It was 8 May 2017, in the Astrakhan region in Russia, when some farmers found several wolf pubs and because these animals are considered to be dangerous, they wanted to get rid of them.
Fortunately, Ivan, a 46-year-old physical therapist who works in a retirement home for the elderly and disabled, bought one of these wolf pups from the farmers, to save it from its fate. He named it Seryi, which in Russian means “gray”. In this unexpected adventure, his daughter Alexandra helped him as she is a dog trainer. Currently, Seryi, the gray wolf, is two and a half years old. Ivan told us that his pet needs to walk a lot, so having a wolf in the house is demanding.
Although people think wolves are wild and dangerous animals, Ivan said that his pet wolf actually behaves like any other dog. And often, Seryi is even afraid. For example, he is afraid to cross very wide streets and to meet unknown things in his path, such as boxes or other objects.
Ivan does not let strangers take pictures with Seryi because they frighten him a lot. Also because he is not a circus animal ― he is part of the family.
Prior to Seryi’s arrival, Ivan already had dogs in the house. Like any other dog, Seryi bites, but only when he feels stressed or bored. When they go for walks he completely ignores smaller dogs or dogs having equal size.
They feed Seryi daily with meat or chicken, but he can also eat vegetables, fruit or berries. From time to time, they also give him dog biscuits, nuts, and honey to supplement his diet.
Wolves are very intelligent animals. Ivan has seen his Seryi take care of and protect the other two dogs and also Alexandra. Seryi is also able to open windows and even turn on the lights in the house!
