I’ve always loved wolves, and there are lots of wolf-like dogs out there.
You’ve got Tamaskens, Czech Wolfdogs, and more. But my dogs Rebus and Ember are Northern Inuits, and I’m just absolutely smitten with the breed.
I’ve been around this breed for over 20 years now. Rebus is 12, he’s a grumpy old man. I had his dad before him, and his gran too. Ember is three, she’s my fifth Northern Inuit dog.
They give amazing cuddles. They’re just big cuddle monsters.
Rebus is probably about German Shepherd sized, whereas Ember is taller.
Their utmost favourite thing to do is go to the beach, but Ember also loves Camperdown. She meets many a dog up there.
And I have a motorhome, so she comes on holidays in that.
I only take one dog at a time, but there’s something to be said for having a big dog with you on the road. It’s about safety, and I do feel safer.
Normally it’s just me and my daughter who will go away in the van, so having one of these guys with you makes a difference.
‘Wolves loose from Camperdown Zoo’
All my kids have grown up around this breed. But people cross the road and everything when they see the dogs, and I’m like: “Really?”
They’re an extremely intelligent breed so they can be challenging as well.
My worst mishap in the past was with Rebus; he escaped years ago when he was just a pup with two other dogs.
They’d gone up to my mum’s, but I was beside myself. It was at night time and I thought he’d cause an accident, but the police couldn’t help.
However I’m a taxi driver’s daughter, so I contacted all the taxi offices and said: “If you eyeball these dogs, can you radio back and have them phone me please?”
And that’s exactly what happened – it was the taxi drivers who found my dogs, near the Law and heading back home.
But the police were getting all these phone calls saying there were wolves loose from Camperdown Zoo!
‘Amazing’ community of Northern Inuit owners
You have to watch with Northern Inuits because they can have quite a high prey drive.
My guys are generally good with livestock and things, but I’ve taken them out into the countryside a lot as young dogs, letting them see horses and cows and things.
And the community of Northern Inuit owners is amazing. Don’t get me wrong, just like horse world, there are some not so nice people in it, but on the whole it’s a very close knit community, very supportive.
Ember was actually gifted to me by a breeder after I lost the chance at a puppy I was supposed to get.
I remember meeting her, her name was something like Yellow Montrello, and the woman said: “You liked Miss Yellow, didn’t you? Well, she’s yours.”
Life with these dogs is crazy, but so loving, and so worth it.
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