The Highland Vet TV series puppy is a 'wolf dog', says Castletown owner
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The Castletown owner of a dog which appeared in a hit TV documentary claims her puppy has 18 per cent wolf genes which should not be present in the breed.
Animal activist Lynn Paterson launched a Facebook group highlighting her concerns about the breeding of "wolf dogs" and claims her Tamaskan pup (Uki) is 18 per cent wolf.
Lynn says the Tamaskan is a really young breed and that anybody who wants to purchase one should "do their homework" beforehand.
"Uki was sold as a 'pet' dog and when I DNA tested her she came back as 18 per cent wolf – not a dog for the new puppy owner if they are unaware of the wolf content."
The results of Uki's DNA test show 18 per cent Czechoslovakian Vlcak, which contains wolf genes, and 13.9 per cent Gray Wolf. Lynn claims that the testing company, Embark, says this gives an overall rating of 18 per cent for wolf.
The Tamaskan Dog originates from Finland. Husky type dogs were imported from the USA in the early 1980s and these were mixed with other dogs including Siberian Husky, Alaskan Malamute and a small amount of German Shepherd.
The aim was to create a breed of dog that looked like a wolf and had high intelligence and a good working ability. More recently, in order to improve bloodlines, other dogs of Husky type origins were integrated into the breeding program. Now the gene pool has been extended, Tamaskan breeders can carry on mating only Tamaskan to Tamaskan and so creating a whole new breed of dog. The breed, however, should not contain wolf in its genetic code.
Lynn started a Facebook group to highlight the issue and received many comments from Tamaskan owners suggesting that "Uki is not a special case".
In The Highland Vet TV series, which followed the ups and downs of life at DS McGregor & Partners, Uki was seen being rushed to the surgery in Thurso after being attacked by an older dog. Lynn explained that she has renamed the puppy – referred to as Leyla in the TV show – as Uki, which means "little survivor".
"She was such a tiny scrap and only weighed 2.33kg. None of us thought she would pull through."
Uki was rushed to the vets by her previous owner after another dog at the household attacked her. Lynn's daughters persuaded their mother to take on the wee pup and she picked her up straight from the vets in Thurso – four days after the operation. The puppy was described as a "miracle patient" in the programme.
"You should see her now – she is just a totally different dog. She is happy and has no fear of other dogs or people. When we go walks she just loves everybody and everything."
Through her Facebook group Lynn says she has had "lots and lots of people messaging" her who planned to buy Tamaskan puppies but were worried when told that it may contain wolf genes. As an experienced dog person, she said she knows what she is dealing with but for someone with less knowledge it could cause problems.
Lynn would like to chat with anyone who has questions about the Tamaskan breed – she can be contacted on scottishwildcat@hotmail.com
