Woman Refuses to Put Friend’s ‘Wolfdog’ on Her Exotic Pet Permit After He Learns About Their State’s ‘Strict’ Requirements

Big ambitions can quickly turn into serious disputes when legal restrictions and safety concerns collide.

A woman recently turned to Reddit to ask whether she was wrong for refusing a request that could have endangered both her career and her hard-won permits in the exotic animal field. She explained that her husband’s three friends are planning to move in together, and each wants to get a dog—despite working more than 60 hours a week.

One of those friends, whom she called “Joe,” had his sights set on something far from ordinary.

“He has always wanted a wolf dog,” she wrote. “He thinks that just feeding it meat from the grocery store is enough and is adamantly against crating dogs. He obviously didn’t do his research.”

According to the post, Joe had already placed a deposit on a puppy that hadn’t even been born yet, with parents described as “90–95% wolf, barely hybrid.” He planned to travel out of state to pick up the animal and bring it home.

Only after putting down the money did Joe start looking into the law—and that’s when he discovered their state has strict regulations on wolf-dog hybrids.

“Specialty crates are required, they need taller fences than city code allows, and there are other requirements too,” she explained. “They also require permits if the dog has any known amount of wolf in them. Those permits are rarely approved, and they make it extremely difficult to even apply.”

The situation was especially complicated because the woman herself owns a wolf-dog hybrid. Her dog is about 15% wolf, and she holds a permit that allows her to own up to six hybrids—approval that was easier to obtain because of her work in the exotic pet industry.

She noted that her permit includes certain waivers. “I do have to have a specialty crate, but no fence or outdoor space requirements because I live in an apartment,” she wrote, adding that her dog had already been fully trained as her service animal before she even learned it had wolf ancestry.

As Joe complained about losing his deposit, her husband mentioned her permit and suggested she might help with the paperwork. Once Joe realized he wasn’t eligible on his own, he asked her to put the puppy on her permit and “just claim it stays with him for yard space.”

That request immediately set off alarm bells.

“Hybrids over 25% are major challenges,” she explained, citing her professional experience. She described them as prone to jumping fences, roaming, and posing bite risks, adding that they are “never truly domesticated or safe.”

Her response was firm. “I told him no,” she wrote, explaining that if authorities discovered the arrangement, she would lose “all of my exotic animal permits, most of which I need for work.”

She was also deeply concerned about Joe’s plan to leave the animal alone for long periods. His vision, she said, was a “90–95% wolf hybrid living like a normal dog,” with a six-foot fence, no crate, and a doggy door—while he worked 12-hour shifts.

While her husband supported her decision, others were less understanding. She said several friends accused her of “gatekeeping” and claimed she had “crushed his dream.”

She admitted the temptation crossed her mind, acknowledging that the chances of getting caught were “moderate to low,” but the potential consequences were far too severe. “I’ve seen people lose permits over escaped and chipped snakes,” she wrote. “But a wolf?”

She also revealed that she could technically sponsor Joe’s application, which might slightly improve his odds—but doing so would mean formally stating that she believed he was capable of handling the animal. She admitted she didn’t believe that was true and chose not to offer that option.

In the comments, most readers backed her decision. One summed it up bluntly: “Of course don’t do it. It’s risking your livelihood.” Another noted that her husband never should have suggested using her permit in the first place.