My shelter dog looks just like your DireWolf Dog!
By Jennifer Stoeckl, MAT - Dire Wolf Project CEO, Dec. 4, 2024
Today, I’m going to tell you the story of “Talon, the Mystery DireWolf Dog™.”
One sunny afternoon, a man—let’s call him Dave—was walking through his neighborhood when he saw a majestic, wolfy-looking dog with a woman at the other end of the leash.
He stopped in his tracks, eyes wide.
“That looks just like my dog!” he exclaimed, pointing at the dog.
The owner smiled. “Oh, he’s an American Dirus Dog from the Dire Wolf Project.”
“The what now?”
Naturally, Dave sprinted home (okay, walked briskly) and Googled us.
His jaw hit the floor as he read about our DireWolf Dogs, bred to look like the prehistoric dire wolf but designed to fit snugly into family life.
“Could Talon be one of these dogs?” he thought.
Dave grabbed his phone and sent us a text:
“Hi, I think my dog Talon
might be a DireWolf Dog.
Is that possible?”
My curiosity piqued, I asked for some details about Talon’s background.
Turns out, Dave had adopted Talon from a shelter after being picked up from the police in southwestern Oregon.
- Spoiler alert: No DireWolf Dog has ever spent 24 hours in a shelter.
Why?
Because anytime a DireWolf Dog needs a new home, our community springs into action faster than you can say, “Pleistocene.”
Years ago, two DireWolf Dogs briefly found themselves homeless, but both were swiftly rescued within hours by our amazing community network.
And if all else fails, Jay and I personally take any DireWolf Dog in need until they find their forever family.
So, sorry, Dave, but Talon’s shelter backstory rules him out.
Not one to give up easily, Dave decided to dig deeper.
He ordered a DNA test for Talon, which came back with an impressive lineup:
- German Shepherd Dog
- Alaskan Malamute
- Great Pyrenees
- A sprinkling of Chow Chow and Rottweiler
The Chow Chow and Rottweiler in Talon’s DNA is a dead giveaway that he is not a DireWolf Dog.
We have never used those breeds in our lines.
In fact, we’ve only used:
- German Shepherd Dog
- Alaskan Malamute
- English Mastiff
- Irish Wolfhound
- Akita
- Labrador Retriever
- Great Pyrenees
- Anatolian Shepherd Dog
- Golden Retriever
From a distance, you might mistake Talon for one of our dogs.
But as I explained to Dave, there are some key differences:
Clue #1: The Feathered Coat
Talon has long feathering—the kind of flowy, thin hair behind the ears and legs that makes you want to reach for a hairbrush.
While all of our dogs did have feathering about 20 years ago, we’ve been working hard to eliminate it in favor of a more wolf-like long mane and tail.
And these days?
No breeding dogs at Dire Wolf Project headquarters has feathered coats.
Clue #2: The Muzzle Situation
Talon had a short muzzle with a deep stop—a sharp, angular turn where the muzzle meets the skull.
At the Dire Wolf Project, that’s a no-go.
Our dogs have broad, wolfy muzzles without that abrupt taper.
Talon’s muzzle shape?
A telltale sign of his Chow Chow and Rottweiler ancestry.
Clue #3: It’s Not Just About the Breeds
Here’s the thing…
The specific breed mix we use isn’t a trade secret.
You could theoretically take the same combination of breeds we’ve used and try to make your own DireWolf Dog.
But would it work?
Nope.
Why?
Because it’s not just about mixing breeds together.
It’s about:
- Decades of meticulous genetic work
- Rigorous temperament evaluations
- Extensive health testing
- And a sprinkle of magic sauce we like to call “breeder expertise”
You can’t just toss ingredients in a pot and expect to bake a gourmet soufflé.
So, is Talon a DireWolf Dog?
Sorry, Dave, but Talon isn’t one of ours.
That said, we get why he thought so.
For the uninformed, Talon could pass as one of our dogs.
But when you look closer—at his feathering, muzzle, and origins—it’s clear he’s his own unique mix.
And hey, that doesn’t make Talon any less amazing.
He’s still a lovable, one-of-a-kind beauty, and we know Dave thinks the world of him.
But not every wolfy-looking dog is a DireWolf Dog™.
That said, if you’re looking for a dog with the look of a dire wolf and the heart of a teddy bear, the Dire Wolf Project has you covered.
P.S. Got your own DireWolf Dog mystery? Shoot us a message—just don’t send us any DNA tests with “fire-breathing dragon” in the mix. We’re good, thanks.
See all of our breeding dogs here:
https://direwolfdogs.com/dogs/
Can you tell the difference between Talon and our American Dirus dogs?
Jennifer Stoeckl is the co-founder of the Dire Wolf Project, founder of the DireWolf Guardians American Dirus Dog Training Program, and owner/operator of DireWolf Dogs of Vallecito. She lives in the beautiful inland northwest among the Ponderosa pine forests with her pack of American Dirus dogs.
Talon, a non American Dirus
Hercules, An American Dirus