#most dogs are bad compared to borzoi

[theborzoiarebackintown]

And now it’s this menace to society’s turn to be 7!! Every borzoi household needs a token non-borzoi to keep their owners humble and boy does Georgia keep me humble.

[barksbog]

Do I remember correctly that you were thinking between borzoi and smooth collie or was it someone else? If it was you, any particular reason why you chose collie? Asking bc im myself considering between those two, I have experience with shelties and really like herding dogs even tho they can be worlds most sensitive babies sometimes

I can't remember if i publicly posted about it but i definitely did consider borzois!

herding dogs are great and i'm definitely very biased towards them. i love those weirdos and all their chaos.

-

the reason i ended up going for a smooth collie is mostly prey drive. Borzois are proper sight hounds and will run after fast animals and bite to kill if they can reach them. which is what they were bred for and definitely doesn't make them bad dogs!

herding dogs have a modified prey drive that makes them stalk animals around and ideally have strong restraint on lunging and biting.

i know a lot of sight hounds are very chill with cats but i just felt more comfortable going with a herder. He does annoy his tiny older siblings a lot by herding them around the house when he thinks they need to be somewhere else and is a bit rough and clumsy in his play attempts but it's all manageable.

i also live quite rural with a lot of game like hares, deer and pheasants out and about around the house and have neighbours with free roaming ducks, chicken and turkeys. so having a dog with a low prey drive is honestly just a lot more comfortable overall.

that being said tho my trainer has the worlds daintiest little rough collie who has an insane prey and kill drive. so it's not a given they will just try to befriend every outdoor cat they see.

-

another point was size. smooth collies (especially males from US lines) can get quite big. Leon certainly is a good sized guy with almost 60cm shoulder height and 24kg!

borzois are A LOT larger.

i have a small car, bed and couch tbh. My mom is also struggling with physical health and already struggles with leon when he's a bit rowdy. i don't think she'd handle a dog that can get almost twice as heavy!

the accidental injury risk of my cats would have also been higher with a larger dog.

-

less a direct comparison thing but a big part of why i went with a collie in the end is that they are known to be kinda annoyingly clingy and oh god he is but so am i. having a weird little guy who doesn't get annoyed by it helps my mental health a lot.

i don't have experience with shelties and how they compare but generally you can expect smooth and rough collies to be a bit lower energy and more "stubborn"/independent than border collies if that helps.

[inu-jiru]

Tomoe, The Eastern Tigress - Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten - Rocket’s True Nature

Another day came and so began another day of traveling. With each passing day, the Ohu Army grew closer and closer to Hougen’s territory. After the confrontation of Weed, Tomoe and Jerome, the young bitch had made sure to avoid them at all costs. She didn’t talk to them, she didn’t eat or sleep near them, and she made sure to have as many dogs between them and herself during the daily run. The rest of the pack were unsure of what to think. They agreed that releasing a potential threat to their pack was a foolish plan, but Weed the leader. Even if they didn’t like Weed’s orders, they still had to follow and accept them...right?

An old dog lagged behind the rest of the group, his tongue hanging from his mouth as he tried to keep up. He’d been recruited a short while ago, wanting to use what little time he had left to protect Japan from evil. Weed, noticing his trouble, slowed down in order to run alongside him. Up ahead, Rocket turned his head slightly, an ear slightly perked to listen.

“Are you alright, mister?” Weed was asking. “We can stop, if you’d like to.”

Jeez… Rocket thought. Does he have to act all sweet and nice all the time? No wonder these guys are making so little progress…

“Excuse me,” said Rocket aloud as he turned to Jerome. The Shepherd’s ear flicked, indicating that he was listening. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask ever since the little...incident...yesterday.”

“Hmph.” The top of Jerome’s muzzle wrinkled a bit. He was clearly still bitter about Tomoe’s defiance.

“Why do you follow a kid?” Rocket continued. “I get that he’s the leader’s son, but he seems a bit naive for his own good. I’ve heard tales of Gin; he was never that way when he was a young dog.”

“What you call “naive”,” Jerome answered slowly. “I call “pure”. Weed’s an innocent boy, and he has a spirit that no one else has. I believe that he’ll grow into something great; that’s my life’s new purpose. I won’t tolerate anyone who tries to get in the way of his growth.”

With that, Jerome picked up his pace, leaving Rocket behind to take in what he said. Rocket’s mouth hung open in disbelief.

He believes in the brat that much…? Hmm...he’s the only one who seems to be that devoted. That Tomoe can’t stand the kid. These poor fools...if only they’d just turn themselves over to Hougen, they wouldn’t have to worry about a leader who risks their lives in favor of a bad guy’s. Wait...isn’t Hougen a bad guy...? Grrr! Don’t think like that, Rocket! Stay focused.

As Rocket continued to think, he began recalling a meeting he had the night before with his brothers. Sneaking away from the rest of the pack, Rocket had found Jet and Missile in the woods, Jet resting near a tree and panting.

“I’ve been running for hours…” Jet had complained. “Hougen’s such a thoughtless bastard. I need a rest…”

“If Hougen’s that bad, perhaps it’s time we fought against him…?” Rocket half-suggested and half-joked. Jet and Missile looked at him with fear in their eyes.

“Don’t be stupid, Rocket…!” Jet said with a panicked voice. “Hougen’s way too powerful! Working for him’s the only way we’re gonna stay alive!”

“Hurry and kidnap that brat, brother,” Missile instructed. “If we bring Weed to Hougen, maybe we’ll finally get treated decently.”

Rocket returned to the present after that, his fangs baring with determination.

“Fine,” he grunted. “Let’s get this over with.” Rocket turned back, heading to the back of the pack. While Weed and the old dog were talking, the Borzoi pushed past them roughly. The old male fell back, leaving Weed open for a new conversation. Rocket pulled up alongside the Akita mix.

“Rocket…?” asked Weed, confused.

“I’ve been watching you for the longest time, Weed,” the Borzoi said, a growl in his voice. “You’re too soft. You’re too accepting. I don’t like the way you run things. Tomoe said something about being soft yesterday, didn’t she? Heh, well, let me show you why she was right!”

Before Weed could utter a word, Rocket reached down and grabbed him by the back of the neck. He took off into the woods, leaving the rest of the pack behind. Everyone stopped, looking after the Borzoi in shock.

“Weed!” Ken shouted.

“Shit!” Tomoe cursed. “That guy was one of Hougen’s dogs!?”

“I’ll stop him!” GB declared, being the first to run after Rocket. Thanks to his breed, GB was an incredibly fast individual, faster than most dogs. It wasn’t long before he reached Rocket’s flank. “You won’t outrun me, so let Weed go before I have to fight you!”

Smirking inwardly, Rocket suddenly began putting on a burst of speed. Before GB could blink, he’d bounded ahead, appearing more like a blur than a dog. Stunned, the English Setter kept his eyes off the ground, missing a root that was sticking out of the snow. He tripped, falling onto his belly with a grunt. The rest of the Ohu dogs caught up with him, Tomoe and Jerome both continuing onward as the others went to assist the Setter.

“I’m fine, I’m fine…!” GB insisted. “That guy’s so fast, though! He can’t be real!”

“To think that we had a spy hiding right under our noses…” Kagetora snarled. “I can’t wait to get my fangs on that bastard!”

Up ahead, Rocket had put a considerable amount of distance between him and Weed’s comrades. He now felt comfortable enough to slow his pace. The scent of his brothers was strong; he’d reached their rendezvous site. Slipping past the bushes, Rocket stopped in front of his brothers, who were both wagging their tails in satisfaction.

“Well done, brother,” Missile praised. “Let’s hurry back to Hougen before those idiots manage to find us.” Weed, meanwhile, was coming down from the shock of being captured so suddenly. Realizing where he was, the puppy began wiggling against Rocket’s grip.

“Let go of me!” he demanded. “Let go!”

Scoffing, Rocket did as Weed wanted. He roughly tossed Weed against the snow, watching smugly as the pup grunted in pain. The Akita mix struggled to his paws, delivering a hard stare to his kidnappers.

“Rocket…” said Weed slowly. “Were you really working for Hougen this whole time?”

“Yes,” replied Rocket bluntly. “What are you gonna do about it, brat? Let me go and hope I learn a lesson?”

“You’re disgusting!” Weed lowered himself into a fighting stance. “I actually trusted you!” Rocket sneered, preparing another quip, but it never left his lips as Weed lunged at him. Weed bit his neck, twisting his body around and pinching the flesh underneath Rocket’s long fur. The force of Weed’s body was so great that it knocked the Borzoi onto his back. Weed rolled away, getting back onto his feet in a matter of seconds.

“Brother…!” Jet cried, padding to Rocket’s side.

“I’m fine…” said Rocket, standing up and shaking the snow from his coat. “Let me handle the brat.”

Rocket took a step towards Weed, baring his fangs. The puppy didn’t flinch, standing his ground and continuing to glare at the traitorous male before him. A fire burned in Weed’s eyes; he wasn’t afraid at all. Rocket couldn’t help but have some respect for that. Still…

“I won’t go easy on you, Weed!” Rocket declared, stepping closer and closer. “You should thank me. What I’m about to do…”

Rocket pounced.

“...Is nothing compared to what Hougen would’ve done to you!”

Suddenly, a blur of black and cream collided with the Borzoi. Jerome had barreled into him, knocking him away. Jet and Missile gasped, but it was all they could do before Jet felt fangs on his neck. Tomoe dragged him down, pinning him under her body, her teeth threatening to sink in deeper.

“Brother…!” shouted Missile as he backed up, his tail slipping inbetween his legs.

“Let go!” Jet choked, struggling against Tomoe’s grip, to no avail. “Don’t you know I’m one of Hougen’s--!? GYAAAAAH!”

Tomoe had flung the Borzoi away. Jet crashed into the trunk of a tree, his head hitting the solid wood. He fell over into the snow, motionless and bleeding from his forehead. Rocket, meanwhile, got up and backed off, putting some space between himself and the two Ohu males. Missile joined him.

“Shit…” Missile whispered. “How’d those two get to us so fast?”

“They’ve both been selected as the brat’s right hands,” Rocket explained. “I can see why…”

“I knew I was right to suspect you,” Jerome growled at the orange Borzoi. “I’ll give you exactly what you deserve.”

“I’m gonna break your legs,” Tomoe added suddenly as she joined Weed and Jerome’s side. “One. By. One.”

“No,” Weed said, looking between the two Shepherds. “I should be able to protect myself.”

“Don’t bother arguing,” Tomoe scoffed. “We didn’t come here to stand back and watch.”

“Jet’s unconscious,” Missile whispered to Rocket. “Are we really going to be able to be three dogs?”

“Just follow my lead, brother,” Rocket replied quietly. The Borzoi glared at the three dogs before him, his legs tensing in preparation. He then ran forward, calling back to his brother. “Let’s go! Missile!”

Both brothers began running together, Missile’s speed behind just a bit slower so that he could perfectly hide himself behind Rocket’s body. A second later, he launched himself towards the tree nearest to him, shooting himself at Tomoe with a kick from his hind legs. It happened so fast that Tomoe barely had a chance to notice the dark brown blur approaching her before she felt teeth slicing her shoulder.

“Gah!” Tomoe gasped, stepping back as she examined her wound. She was far too surprised at the Borzois’ speed to be angry, at least for the moment. Rocket, seconds after his brother’s attack, repeated the movement, aiming for Jerome. The male Shepherd took a blow to the side of his neck. The two brothers returned back to their starting point, licking the blood from their fangs as they stared back at their opponents.

“Jerome!” Weed said in alarm. “Tomoe…! Are you two alright!?”

“Yeah…” Jerome grunted. Tomoe agreed with a swift nod. “Just a few scratches.”

“You think a few cuts’ll scare us?” challenged Tomoe. “Get real!”

“You two are skilled fighters,” Rocket said. “That’s why we haven’t killed you yet. Abandon that brat and join us. Hougen would love to have you.”

“Fuck you!” Tomoe shot back. “I’ll tear off your balls for even thinking of suggesting I join that asswipe!”

Burning with rage, the female sprinted towards the Borzois. She didn’t prepare her Retsu, however. A couple of spies didn’t deserve to witness such a technique. In response, Rocket and Missile attempted their double attack again. This time, however, Tomoe was prepared. When Missile dove to the left, she followed him, colliding with him in her air. Her fangs sank into his foreleg, biting hard.

CRACK!

Missile screamed at the top of his lungs. His leg…! It was broken! Tomoe landed, dragging the unfortunate male with her. Rocket skidded to a halt, staring, wide-eyed, at what Tomoe had done.

“What the…!?” he exclaimed in fright. Tomoe flung Missile’s body at him, sending both Borzois flying and hitting the ground.

She’s so violent…! Weed thought as he watched Tomoe fight. Did she really need to go that far…!?

“Weed!”

The Akita mix perked, turning to Jerome. The Shepherd was glancing back at where Tomoe had knocked out Jet. The third Borzoi brother had started to recover. Both Weed and Jerome looked back towards him. Jet shot them both a glare.

“Bastards…” he hissed. “Take this!”

Jet leapt at Jerome, but the assassin was prepared. The Shepherd shot forward, catching Jet by the throat and throwing him in the direction of his brothers. As Jet crashed into the snow with a grunt, Jerome pounced on him, pinning him down. Meanwhile, Tomoe had been holding onto Rocket, her fangs around his neck. Missile could only watch, unable to stand due to the pain of his fractured leg. It was safe to say that the fight was over.

“How disappointing,” Jerome said. “I figured you spies would last a bit longer.”

“Why…!?” Rocket croaked as Tomoe’s canines threatened to pierce deeper. “Why devote yourselves to such a soft-hearted kid!? What’s the point!?”

“Weed isn’t a selfish or thoughtless male like you or Hougen,” Jerome replied, lifting his head to stare at Rocket. “His principles are what we should all strive to be like. I won’t hesitate to die if it means protecting Ohu’s heir.”

Greeeeat… Tomoe rolled her eyes. More preaching about how great that brat is… Tomoe lifted her head, deciding to add in her own two cents.

“I’m not in it for Weed,” she barked. “And I don’t buy into the crap that guy’s spewing.” Here, she nodded at Jerome. The male narrowed his eyes at her in response. “But the kid’s dad is a male I greatly respect. Gin is my father’s best friend, and he’s like family to me. Hougen’s threatening the lives of Gin, my father, and everyone I care about. If you think I’ll just stand back and let him get away with that…”

Tomoe bit Rocket’s neck again, this time with intent to kill.

“Then you’re stupider than you look.”

“Brother…!” Missile called out to Rocket as the orange Borzoi slowly suffocated.

“There they are!” a new voice called. Weed looked back, seeing the rest of the Ohu soldiers arriving at the scene. They quickly gathered around their leader defensively, looking over the scene around them.

“Tomoe,” Ken began. “Jerome, nice job taking these bastards down.”

“You even left one for me,” Kagetora added, his lips curling back to expose his wickedly sharp teeth. “Heh, I’ll finish him off.”

“Wait!” said Weed quickly, stepping forward. “Don’t kill anyone! Tomoe, stop!”

Tomoe froze, glancing up at Weed. Rocket began gasping for breath, for once, grateful that Weed had a ridiculous amount of mercy. Ken, Kagetora and GB all looked at the young brindle in disbelief.

“You can’t be serious, Weed,” GB said. “These guys have been feeding information to Hougen for who knows how long, and they almost killed you!”

“That doesn’t matter,” Weed responded. “They’ve already been defeated. What’s the point in killing them now?”

“To keep them from going back to Hougen, of course!” Kagetora snarled. “Weed, think about what you’re saying here!”

“I’ve made my decision!” Weed’s tone began to sour. “Tomoe, Jerome, let them up right now!”

A stunned silence followed. Jerome hesitated for a moment before reluctantly obeying, freeing Jet and returning to the rest of the pack. Tomoe remained now, not moving an inch. Her eyes narrowed. Would Weed ever learn!? The Akita mix took a step towards Tomoe, a look of warning in his eyes. With a fierce growl, Tomoe removed her fangs from Rocket’s neck, instead slamming a paw down on his head.

“Listen to me, you rat-faced bastard,” she hissed to Rocket. “You’re gonna go back to Hougen and tell him that I, Tomoe, daughter of John, will personally end his pathetic life. You got that?”

“L-Loud and clear…” Rocket shook his head quickly.

“Good.” Tomoe finally backed off, shouting over her shoulder as she padded towards her comrades. “Now piss off! All of you! Before I change my mind!”

The Borzois complied without a second thought. Rocket and Jet got to their paws, ignoring their aches and pains as they reached Missile, helping him up. Weed watched them for a moment, his ears falling back. Although leading an army meant witnessing a few fights, the puppy just couldn’t accept this sort of thing. He glanced at Tomoe out of the corner of his eye. He wasn’t sure what her deal was, but her aggressiveness was something he wouldn’t tolerate any further. General or not, if Tomoe acted out like that again, he wouldn’t hold himself responsible for what he’d do next.

“Everyone, let’s go,” Weed ordered as he began heading back the way they’d all come from. The rest of the army followed, though not without passing a few cold looks at the Borzoi brothers. Surely Gin wouldn’t have been so lenient against obvious dangers.

Rocket stared after the group, a new feeling swelling up in his chest. He couldn’t explain it; he should’ve been angry that Tomoe had beaten him and his brothers the way that she did. Yet, her words still echoed in his mind. That Weed didn’t know a thing about being a leader, being more focused on sparing the lives of enemies that didn’t deserve it rather than protecting his own allies from future attacks. Jerome, meanwhile, was too obsessed with whatever “pure aura” he could see in the puppy. Tomoe was a different story. She was a female devoted to her allies, to Ohu, and wouldn’t stand to let evil taint the world. A dog like that...a dog with a spirit so fierce...that would be the end of Hougen’s reign.

“Rocket…” Jet’s voice tore Rocket from his thoughts. He looked at his brothers, who were both staring at him in confusion. “Didn’t you hear us…? We need to report to Hougen. These Ohu dogs are more trouble than we thought.”

“...I won’t go back to Hougen,” replied Rocket, returning his gaze to where the Ohu Army had gone.

“Huh!?” both Missile and Jet exclaimed. Rocket began padding after the army, his heart pounding with the new decision he’d made.

“Come with me,” he continued. “Jet, Missile...I think we could finally be free of Hougen if we side with Ohu…”

“What are you saying, brother!?” Missile cried. “We can’t do that!”

“You really wanna become Hougen’s enemy!?” Jet added.

“You’ll have to fight against us, Rocket! Please! Don’t do this!”

There was no convincing Rocket now. He picked up his pace, following the tracks of the Ohu soldiers. Though the voices of his brothers caused his heart to ache, Rocket couldn’t remain a spy for Hougen anymore. Following Tomoe was his new purpose. Unbeknownst to him, however, his final conversation with his brothers had been watched. A small hound hid himself in the bushes, taking note of Rocket’s decision to change sides. He licked his chops; Hougen would need to hear about this.

Gin and John continued to rest in their makeshift prison. Their bellies were empty, their mouths were dry, and the cold made their paws feel numb. Things weren’t looking good for them. Nevertheless, they clung onto life with every fiber of their being. They couldn’t die, they refused to.

Outside the shed, Hook approached the two guards, a young, tan-and-liver colored German Shepherd by his side. The guards, taking notice of the approaching males, sat up, eying them closely.

“What’s goin’ on?” one of them asked.

“Shift change,” replied Hook smoothly. “We’ve been picked to take your places.”

“Oh. Cool.” The two guards got up, yawning and stretching. They took off quickly, glad to be free of guard duty. It was a pretty boring job, but someone had to do it. Hook and his companion waited for a moment, sniffing the air to make sure that the previous guards really had gone, or that no one else was coming.

“I think we’re good,” said the Shepherd, before he reached down and gathered up some snow in his mouth. Nodding, Hook did the same, and both males entered the shed. Hook approached Gin, dropping his snowball in front of him. The Akita’s eyes opened, gazing up at the Labrador mix.

“Uh…?” he gasped. “It’s...you? Hook…?”

“Yes, sir,” Hook replied. He nodded over to his ally. “I brought a friend. Don’t worry; he’s on our side.”

The young Shepherd dropped his snowball in front of John. The older male looked at the offering and then at the youngster before him.

“Wait a second…” John muttered. “I remember you…!”

“Heh,” the younger Shepherd. “Long time, no see, eh, Uncle John?”

“Julius…!” John exclaimed. “Heheh...last time I saw you, you weren’t any bigger than Tomoe…! How’ve you been, brat?”

“Things’ve been pretty crazy,” Julius replied. Both Gin and John licked at the snow they’d been brought, the heat of their mouths melting it into cool, refreshing water. “There was an attack at the Paradise. This huge monster came and took over…”

“What!?” John cried. Gin looked up, eyes widening in horror.

“I know it sounds hard to believe…” Julius’ casual smile had slipped into a bitter frown. “But it’s true. The old guys had me run away with the other Paradise dogs. I’ve been on my own for the past few months, at least until I heard about Hougen capturing you.”

“That’s how I recruited him,” added Hook. “There’s some others, too, dogs that still support Ohu. We’re planning on a way to get you both out of here. Once your reinforcements come, our plan will come into action. Until then, please stay strong.”

“Hook…” Gin whispered. Despite his pain and the fears lingering in the deepest parts of his mind, the Akita still managed to smile gratefully. “Thank you for all you’ve done for us. Julius, you too. I’m glad to see you again after all these months.”

“Yeah,” agreed John, also grinning. “You’ve gotten to be one tall sack of shit, eh, brat?” The four males shared a laugh. Despite all that was going on, it was nice to finally have a moment of levity.

“Alright,” Hook then said. “We’d better get back outside before someone suspects something. Until next time, Boss. General John.” Hook and Julius began heading back outside.

“Oh, one more thing,” said Gin quickly. The two males looked back at him. “Reika...is she alright?”

“Oh, Hougen’s prisoner…?” Hook replied, an uneasy expression on his face. “She’s fine, at least from what I’ve seen. She’s only allowed outside of Hougen’s hut to relieve herself. I haven’t seen any injuries on her.”

“Thank goodness…” Gin sighed in relief. “I’d hate for anything to--”

“Oi! She’s escaping!”

[krakenator]

Chapter 11 aka “Welcome to Chili’s”

SPOILERS are sprinkled around extremely liberally for The Property of Hate

Masterpost here

Oh damn alright that answers my earlier question of “what will cause RGB to make like a cuttlefish”. He can fiddle with his colors at any time, but he’ll fritz and settle on colors after power surges as well

And he DODGES the black button question. Look at that anxious cane fiddling!

White knob handles color, black knob brightness, he’s just shown that the white panel opens to adjust brightness/saturation/color… is the black button just plain off?

“I lose you I leave you” is such a damned lie lmao

Let’s see what kind of Stuff people trade here!

Moments manifest as clocks, har-har

I’m in love with the borzoi vender bc I love borzois they’re such ridiculously ethereal dogs

Don’t like your current eye? Trade it for a better eye!

or you dont care about eyes, just revenge-feelings

Kisses of varying flavors, all shaped like X’s

STOP RIGHT THERE crimincal scum. RGB stole a farewell kiss (HAR HAR). But seriously, does the Market have law enforcement for this kind of thing?

I’m sorry but my shit fandom brain see’s discussion about trading body parts and my mind immediately goes to Skulduggery “lost his original skull when sleeping and replaced it by winning another one in a poker game” Pleasant

Incidentally ALSO a story about a standoffish dapper non-human taking a young girl on Adventures

uh oh

Lmao he ends up dropping his cane in panic

I love the movement in this panel. RGB just scooping her up with one arm

Goodbye New Suit we barely knew ye

RGB’s able to fine tune his pallet extremely specifically for just 3 sliders

This might be my favorite interaction in the entire damn comic

CAREFUL RGB YOUR ATTACHMENT IS SHOWING

I love how RGB decided “you know what i like what that quick camouflage did for my trousers, I’m going to coordinate my upper half to match it”

Interesting visual and sound effect- we saw a character swap out heads earlier without that CRACK. Considering Assok’s had trouble twice now with static cling to RGB’s face, is this an electric spark of sorts?

I like the detail that Watcher only speaks in one word sentences

God but that cane is convenient. What I wouldn’t give to have possessions that are impossible to lose

I love RGB quietly, actually checking in with Assok after accidentally knocking them off Hero’s head

And now for something completely different!

WHOLESOME ASSOK HUG

RGB’s starting to poke her towards her epiphany about the Make Believe

As a someone who spent a long time being a short person that’s such short people talk RGB

Dude I skimmed over Dial’s dialogue this page last time because, really. Look at it. So lets actually read this sucker

Oh shit Dial actually mentions the Elastic Valley way before we get there ourselves

He’s got to what now. TOby is there on a JOB? Someone put him here on PURPOSE? I thought he just ended up there and was so surly to every fucking thing and everyone passing by was like “ok u can stay there rudepants”. What’s he on watch for?? Unless it’s far more punishment than it is useful assignment

Bad puns, go to jail

Oh shit does Watcher have another pair of eyes on his wings? Damn! For a guy with 4 eyes he sure is not very helpful at his job later on!!

Hooo does his boss make Dial nervous. Lookit that stutter and devolution to muttering

When Dial says TOby took his eye off things, is he referring to letting RGB+Hero pass by (how would he stop them)? Is it that the wind blew him over and blocked his vision (THAT IS LITERALLY NOT HIS FAULT)?

And what the hell has TOBy done to defy Hate previously? What does he have opinions that Hate/Dial would have him change his mind about?

See you space cowboy…

And because I can’t make up my mind on what to meme here: “mm whatcha saaay”

A thought on Dial’s design… his head says “ON AIR”. Later we know that Hate can listen in on him. D’you figure he ever makes himself “OFF AIR” other than when he sleeps?

Now this little here combined textbox gives me some thoughts…

I haven’t paid attention to the color of character text beyond Hero’s voice getting eroded by sand, but… boxes can be any color and shape, its not uncommon for characters to have separate fonts, but words themselves? Only ever black and white. Now this could be for the sake of no eyestrain against backgrounds, but... consider the dichotomy TPoH is building up over its story

white in this comic is associated with bad things quite often. Lies, [-----], Hate’s realm. The blinding, scorching, destructive light of the unmasked Sun. meanwhile, darkness hides the Market from danger, and nighttime is tied intrinsically with dreaming. in fact, we JUST had an entire chapter dedicated to framing the Dark as good, protective, and aligned with trees and water, other positive entities

For a minute I got all excited because Dial and the Butterfly both have white text, thinking “oh, my god. do all Hate-aligned characters have white text?” this gets jossed pretty hard by Julienne’s white text, as well as Cell and Tailor.

but while THINKING on that, I jumped back to Storytime in chapter 10 and check this out: the moment RGB starts his story, text is suddenly white. Most of it continues to be in white… except for these two sentences

AND CHECK THIS SHIT OUT: THE TEXT COLOR/SCENERY CHANGE COLOR TO THE FIVE COLORS OF RGB’S SCREEN. HOW DID I MISS THAT??

(flips table) WHAT DOES IT ALL MEEEEEEAN

… y’know, the only character to have a white bubble color for their speech is RGB, who speaks in black

He’s both. He’s NEUTRAL.

Considering my talent for creating OCs but chronic deficiency in building coherent and decisive stories for them, they’re all probably wandering this Market and world right now. at the very least most of them have spent a DAMN long time here before becoming realized (im so sorry guys im trying)

The ones that are complete as themselves but their stories are unstarted/uncertain? That’s like. most of them. whoops. maybe this will be the kick in the pants i need

But on a brighter note: Fosters Home for Unfinished OCs

BUT by the rules of this world, RGB doesn’t have a story… yet this is his story.

Assok’s newest position of travel is adorable and im dying

Y’know… Hero and RGB have very different ways of solving things. A little obvious, but- RGB’s solutions are always convoluted, require multiple steps, and are a little ridiculous. Or, he at least FRAMES them as complex. See: Click escape, train escape, entire scheme to find a Hero to right the world. Hero’s far more straightforward but her solutions are also more, like… sensible than RGB’s if that makes sense. If it was just RGB up on the burning heart his plan would have probably involved more "im very intelligent” and pizzaz, while Hero went for the comparatively simple “lets zipline” (versus RGB’s upcoming Click escape clusterfuck)

All of which to say, I got thinking on that with RGB being like “it’s a very complex topic I can’t possibly boil it down to anything smaller” and Hero describing what the Make Believe acts as in one word

So if this worlds objects come from the sea, the sea is connected to other worlds? And it was confirmed early on that ‘stuff’ and ‘thought’ are basically synonyms- these foreign objects can exist in the Make Believe because they’re infused with enough Stuff!

Hero and presumably all of the other Heroes came from outside the Make Believe… they are not unrealized characters, or they didn’t start out as such. To exist here like this, they must then be imbued with enough Stuff/Thought… if we specify Stuff as equivalent to creative thought… by jove! I’ve hit on (another) theory!

Haven’t all past Heroes been artists? Julienne is a dancer, Melody a musician, Dial works radio, Ticker is a craftsman, and Tailor works with textiles. TOby and Assok don’t have anything obvious, but if I was Hate, I’d turn puppeteers into motionless dolls and empty-voiced sock puppets.

oh yeah, and Click. betcha he was a toymaker

I wonder what kind of artist Hero would grow up to be? She clearly draws, we saw her work taped to her bedroom wall

Of note… RGB is also an artist. It looked like that alternate human-self we glimpse later was involved with TV production, or perhaps script writing.

Tfw your ex walks past and doesn’t even hesitate like wow Magnus be a stone cold bitch like that

also like how his speech tail loops around his neck like a noose upon seeing Maggie

ALSO, that conveniently timed mention of hands when giving examples of what makes Stuff valuable in the Market- the nostalgia and undertones of regret are strong in this one

(watches this character die) oh jesus Christ. (looks at list of decommissioned ocs) ... oops

So this is what it looks like when a character dies… what does it look like when one is realized

do you like puns? want some more quality RGB roasting? like clothes shopping? the next chapter is for you

[the-whoofwhoof]

Bizarre Dog Breeds in the World

On the off chance that everybody had a similar sort of dog, the world would be a far less fascinating spot. They come in all shapes, sizes, tones and personalities. Some are reared for explicit purposes. They might be planned to assist with work, as in group dogs, or trackers, or to watch our assets and property. The majority of us know about the standard dog breeds, yet there are some that are unordinary, if not altogether bizarre. We've accumulated data on twenty of the most unordinary dog breeds on the planet today. You may perceive a couple of them, however some are either scarcely any in numbers, or new as breeds that they have not yet been perceived by the American Kennel Club. If you looking for best pet grooming in delhi visit to our website

1. Komondor

The Komondor breed starts in Hungary. This gigantic canine arrives at a normal of thirty inches when completely developed. He looks considerably bigger in light of his immense layer of hide that incidentally turns out to be the thickest on a canine on the planet today. He's probably the shaggiest variety that you'll discover. He seems as though the world's greatest residue mop with hair that takes on a tangled, nearly dreadlock appearance. This irregular looking dog has hair that hangs down over his eyes, making us can't help thinking about how he can see when we can't see his eyes through the entirety of the hide.

2. Bedlington Terrier

The Bedlington Terrier is named for its place of source which is Bedlington, England. It's hard to tell this dog from a sheep if the believe it or not. He bears a comparability to a standard estimated poodle, however the dark coat is genuinely as thick as sheep's fleece with tight twists that are known for being hypo allergenic. It's an intriguing variety with a very bizarre appearance. The body shape resembles a sideways S with awe-inspiring forms. This variety is genuinely exceptional putting it second on our rundown of the most bizarre dogs on the planet. On the off chance that you can move beyond the odd appearance, he settles on an incredible decision for pet proprietors who are inclined to sensitivities. If you are searching best dog grooming in delhi contact to whoof whoof.

3. Puli

The Puli is by a long shot one of the most novel breeds that you'll discover. This person has a cool Jamaican style hair that cushions outwards, falling down to make him seem as though a barrel held up by four short legs. The variety begins in Hungary and was initially reproduced to be a working dog, aiding the grouping of domesticated animals. His hide is in reality beautiful cool looking and a most intriguing aspect concerning it is that it is exceptionally impervious to water. He's one of the most bizarre looking dogs we've seen with two bruised eyes that companion out from a mass of firmly twisted dreadlocks.

4. Russian Borzoi

The Russian Borzoi obviously, was initially reproduced in Russia. It has a body shape that is like a greyhound, yet the coat is extraordinary in that it is smooth on top, getting thicker and curlier close to the stomach and legs. Borzois are surprising looking dogs that are a coach's bad dream. They are known for their hardheadedness and feeling of freedom. They are very deft and love to chase a lot little creatures.  If you are searching best dog grooming in delhi contact to whoof whoof.

5. Brussels Griffon

From the start, the Brussels Griffon makes you imagine that an ewok got free and reared with a terrier. This odd looking little dog doesn't understand that he's a little variety. He swaggers around the yard searching for somebody to menace. Brussels Griffons for the most part have assume responsibility characters and they will in general endeavor to overwhelm different dogs in the region. They're obstinate puppies who stand up for themselves over everybody around so it's essential to start their preparation from one day, and ensure that they know you're the prevailing piece of the condition.

6. Affenpinscher

The Affenpinscher was first reared in Germany to chase down rodents and murdering them. This bizarre looking dog is medium in size and construct and keeping in mind that there's the same old thing about the state of his body, the hair takes the prize. This dog is shrouded in earthy colored and dim dark ringlets that whirl about, making him look like he just emerged from a delight school as another trial for pat and twirl styles. The coat is so unordinary and bizarre, that it nearly looks tasteful. We experienced difficulty discovering where his nose was on the grounds that it's covered under the entirety of that extravagant twirling hair.  If you looking for best pet grooming in delhi visit to our website

[coolangelsthesarus]

16. things you said with no space between us, viktuuri

Prompt 16. things you said with no space betweeen usTitle 2 A.M.Fandom Yuri!!! On IceRating GeneralWord Count 700+Notes Imagine your OTP imagining your OTP as dogs... __________________________________

Two A.M. is the time of night when words aren’t necessary,where comfortable silence curls up in the sheets alongside legs tangledtogether, hands softly running through hair, two hearts beating the rhythm of alove song. St. Petersburg’s two A.M. streetlights casted shadows over thebedroom walls, over the bruised shoulder blades and the bare stomachs of thetwo sharing the middle of the bed, pressed chest to chest and nose to nose.

It’s the time of night when words weren’t necessary, butthey shared them anyway. They liked the sound of each other’s voice.

“Yuuri.” At his name, Yuuri’s hands paused, Viktor’s hairstill entwined between his fingers. The look Viktor gave said he didn’t likethat, like he wanted the gentle pampering to continue even as he spoke.

Yuuri laughed a little and trailed his hand downwards,cupping the side of Viktor’s cheek. “What is it?”

“I have a question,” he said, then without waiting for areply, continued, “If I was a dog, what type of breed would I be?”

Yuuri had contemplated this before, had thought through acouple different types of breeds in grave detail, but one breed immediatelypopped to mind. Long legs, soft hair, and longer faces. “A Borzoi. Definitely.”

“Why a Borzoi?” came immediately afterwards, with Viktor’s facefalling into a self-righteous pout. “Is it because they come from Russia? Youneed to put more thought into it than that!”

“No, of course not!” Yuuri laughed again. He loved thatpout, Viktor always looked like a child with his face all puckered like that.He loved it. He loved Viktor. “When you see a Borzoi, you think ‘oh, that dogis so beautiful and graceful.’ But when you get to know one, they’re justreally big dorks with long legs.”

Viktor’s face went blank for a moment in thought, before heblinked and seemed satisfied enough. “Well my legs are pretty long. And borzoishave nice hair, too. Okay, I’d be a Borzoi!”

Yuuri was rewarded with a kiss on the lips and Viktor’sdelighted smile as they pulled apart.

Now it was Yuuri’s turn.

“What about me?” he asked, mentally preparing himself for whateverViktor was to throw at him.

Viktor’s brows furrowed in deep thought. He cupped a hand tohis chin. “Hmmm…”

Yuuri had caught on to the fact that when Viktor was tryingto buy himself some time, he would pretend to become absolutely fascinated by something miniscule. Thistime it was the shadows moving over the walls, dancing like rippling water orspirits left forgotten. It was cute. Annoying, but cute.

Suddenly Viktor’s eyes brightened like diamonds and he smiledwide. “I would have to say that Katsuki Yuuri would be… a mutt.”

Yuuri was guessing Shiba Inu or, maybe, an AustralianShepherd, but Viktor was always full of surprises, good and bad.

Of all things, a mutt.

“Wh-What!?” Yuuri gaped, aghast.

“What?” Viktor asked right back, face comically blank. “Whydo you look so upset?”

“Why a mutt?”

“Well, you would be big and strong but fluffy and adorable,but nothing seems right enough. You aren’t just one thing, you’re… Yuuri.Skater. Dancer. Friend. Lover. Soon to be husband.” Viktor gave him one ofthose dumbstruck romantic grins he wore so well. Yuuri’s heart was drumming. “Andall mutts are unique, right? So you’d be Yuuri, the best type of mutt in theentire world: half amazing, half terrific!”

“Oh,” was all Yuuri said, but his brain was screaming,derailing and chugging at a thousand kilometers an hour. Viktor was so cute butalso how dare he? How dare he be so cute and compare him to a mutt and make it sound sappy andromantic and sweet, like it was the most natural thing in the world—

Yuuri was pulled out of his thoughts with something softtouching his cheeks. Coming back down to reality, his eyes focused on Viktor’sface, just inches away from his own, eyes crystalline blue even in the dimlight, cheeks rosy pink.

“You’re all red, Yuuri,” Viktor said with a chuckle, leaningin to steal another kiss. “It looks good on you.”

And without warning, Yuuri was suddenly on his back,shoulders pinned down by Viktor’s strong hands. Laughing, Yuuri wrapped hisarms around his fiancé’s neck and pulled him down for another kiss, deeper thistime.

[ezatluba]

Wolf Puppies Are Adorable. Then Comes the Call of the Wild.

Video Scientists aren’t entirely sure how wolves evolved into dogs, but new research into the genetic and social behavior of wolf pups may offer some clues.

RENAUD PHILIPPE 

OCTOBER 13, 2017

I’m sitting in an outdoor pen with four puppies chewing my fingers, biting my hat and hair, peeing all over me in their excitement.

At eight weeks old, they are two feet from nose to tail and must weigh seven or eight pounds. They growl and snap over possession of a much-chewed piece of deer skin. They lick my face like I’m a long-lost friend, or a newfound toy. They are just like dogs, but not quite. They are wolves.

When they are full-grown at around 100 pounds, their jaws will be strong enough to crack moose bones. But because these wolves have been around humans since they were blind, deaf and unable to stand, they will still allow people to be near them, to do veterinary exams, to scratch them behind the ears — if all goes well.

Yet even the humans who raised them must take precautions. If one of the people who has bottle-fed and mothered the wolves practically since birth is injured or feels sick, she won’t enter their pen to prevent a predatory reaction. No one will run to make one of these wolves chase him for fun. No one will pretend to chase the wolf. Every experienced wolf caretaker will stay alert. Because if there’s one thing all wolf and dog specialists I’ve talked to over the years agree on, it is this: No matter how you raise a wolf, you can’t turn it into a dog.

As close as wolf and dog are — some scientists classify them as the same species — there are differences. Physically, wolves’ jaws are more powerful. They breed only once a year, not twice, as dogs do. And behaviorally, wolf handlers say, their predatory instincts are easily triggered compared to those of dogs. They are more independent and possessive of food or other items. Much research suggests they take more care of their young. And they never get close to that Labrador retriever “I-love-all-humans” level of friendliness. As much as popular dog trainers and pet food makers promote the inner wolf in our dogs, they are not the same.

The scientific consensus is that dogs evolved from some kind of extinct wolf 15,000 or more years ago. Most researchers now think that it wasn’t a case of snatching a pup from a den, but of some wolves spending more time around people to feed on the hunters’ leftovers. Gradually some of these wolves became less afraid of people, and they could get closer and eat more and have more puppies, which carried whatever DNA made the wolves less fearful. That repeated itself generation after generation until the wolves evolved to be, in nonscientific terms, friendly. Those were the first dogs.

People must spend 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for weeks on end with wolf puppies just to assure them that humans are tolerable. Dog puppies will quickly attach to any human within reach. Even street dogs that have had some contact with people at the right time may still be friendly.

Despite all the similarities, something is deeply different in dog genes, or in how and when those genes become active, and scientists are trying to determine exactly what it is.

Wolf pups at Wolf Park, a 65-acre zoo and research facility in Battle Ground, Ind., in July. Though wolves and dogs are extremely similar genetically, their behaviors are very different — and scientists seek to find out why.

There are clues.

Some recent research has suggested that dog friendliness may be the result of something similar to Williams syndrome, a genetic disorder in humans that causes hyper-sociability, among other symptoms. People with the syndrome seem friendly to everyone, without the usual limits.

Another idea being studied is whether a delay in development during a critical socializing period in a dog’s early life could make the difference. That delay might be discovered in the DNA, more likely in the sections that control when and how strongly genes become active, rather than in the genes themselves.

This is research at its very beginning, a long shot in some ways. But this past spring and summer, two scientists traveled to Quebec to monitor the development of six wolf pups, do behavior tests and take genetic samples. I followed them.

I visited other captive wolves as well, young and adult, to get a glimpse of how a research project begins — and, I confess, to get a chance to play with wolf puppies.

I wanted to have some firsthand experience of the animals I write about, to look wolves in the eye, so to speak. But only metaphorically. As I was emphatically told in a training session before going into an enclosure with adult wolves, the one thing you definitely do not do is look them in the eye.

From left, Kathryn Lord, Michele Koltookian and Diane Genereux, of the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester and the Broad Institute in Cambridge, at the Zoo Académie, a combination zoo and training facility in Nicolet, Quebec.

Wolf pups at play at Zoo Académie. Researchers wonder whether a delay in social development in a dog’s early life could explain the difference between wolves and dogs, and they’re looking to DNA for the answer.

Sleeping With Wolves

Zoo Académie is a combination zoo and training facility here on the southern bank of the St. Lawrence River, about two hours from Montreal. Jacinthe Bouchard, the owner, has trained domestic and wild animals, including wolves, all over the world.

This past spring she bred two litters of wolf pups from two female wolves and one male she had already at the zoo. Both mothers gave birth in the same den around the same time at the beginning of June. Then unusually bad flooding of the St. Lawrence threatened the den, so Ms. Bouchard had to remove them at about seven days old instead of the usual two weeks.

Then began the arduous process of socializing the pups. Ms. Bouchard and her assistant stayed day and night with the animals for the first few weeks, gradually decreasing the time spent with them after that.

On June 30, Kathryn Lord and Elinor Karlsson showed up with several colleagues, including Diane Genereux, a research scientist in Dr. Karlsson’s lab who would do most of the hands-on genetics work.

Dr. Lord is part of Dr. Karlsson’s team, which splits time between the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester and the Broad Institute in Cambridge. Their work combines behavior and genetic studies of wolf and dog pups.

An evolutionary biologist, Dr. Lord is an old hand at wolf mothering. She has hand-raised five litters.

“You have to be with them 24/7. That means sleeping with them, feeding them every four hours on the bottle, ” Dr. Lord said.

Also, as Ms. Bouchard noted, “we don’t shower” in the early days, to let the pups get a clear sense of who they are smelling.

Dr. Genereux, right, and Ms. Koltookian at the Zoo Académie.

Dr. Genereux, right, and Ms. Koltookian with the wolf pups. The researchers say the odds of being able to pin down genetically the critical shift from helplessness in infancy to being able to explore the world around them are long, but still worth pursuing.

That’s very important, because both wolves and dogs go through a critical period as puppies when they explore the world and learn who their friends and family are.

With wolves, that time is thought to start at about two weeks, when the wolves are deaf and blind. Scent is everything.

In dogs, it starts at about four weeks, when they can see, smell and hear. Dr. Lord thinks this shift in development, allowing dogs to use all their senses, might be key to their greater ability to connect with human beings.

Perhaps with more senses in action, they are more able to generalize from tolerating individual humans with a specific scent to tolerating humans in general with a scent, sight and sound profile.

When the critical period ends, wolves, and to a lesser extent dogs, experience something like the onset of stranger anxiety in human babies, when people outside of the family suddenly become scary.

The odds of being able to pin down genetically the shift in this crucial stage are still long, but both Dr. Lord and Dr. Karlsson think the idea is worth pursuing, as did the Broad Institute. It provided a small grant from a program designed to support scientists who take leaps into the unknown — what you might call what-if research.

There are two questions the scientists want to explore. One, said Dr. Karlsson: ”How did a wolf that was living in the forest become a dog that was living in our homes?”

The other is whether fear and sociability in dogs are related to the same emotions and behaviors in humans. If so, learning about dogs could provide insights to some human conditions in which social interaction is affected, like autism, or Williams syndrome, or schizophrenia.

The pups at Zoo Académie were only three weeks old when the group of researchers arrived. I showed up the next morning and walked into a room strewn with mattresses, researchers and puppies.

The humans were still groggy from a night with little sleep. Pups at that age wake up every few hours to whine and paw any warm body within reach.

Wolf mothers prompt their pups to urinate and defecate by licking their abdomens. The human handlers massaged the pups for the same reason, but often the urination was unpredictable, so the main subject of conversation when I arrived was wolf pup pee. How much, on whom, from which puppy.

As soon as I walked in, I was handed a puppy to cradle and bottle-feed. The puppy was like a furry larva, persistent, single-minded, with an absolute intensity of purpose.

Even with fur, teeth and claws, the pups were still hungry and helpless, and I couldn’t help but remember holding my own children when they took a bottle. I suspect that tiger kittens and the young of wolverines are equally irresistible. It’s a mammal thing.

A wolf pup, inside a pen, observing a borzoi outside at the Zoo Académie. The critical exploratory phase for wolves is thought to start at about two weeks, when wolf pups are still deaf and blind — scent is their primary sense. With dogs, that period begins at about four weeks, when they can see, smell and hear.

The first part of Dr. Lord’s testing was to confirm her observations that the critical period for wolves starts and ends earlier than that for dogs.

She set up a procedure for testing the pups by exposing them to something they could not possibly have encountered before — a jiggly buzzing contraption of bird-scare rods, a tripod and a baby’s mobile.

Each week she tested one pup, so that no pup got used to it. She would put the puppy in a small arena, with low barriers for walls and with the mobile turned on. She would hide, to avoid distracting the puppy. Video cameras recorded the action, showing how the pups stumbled and later walked around the strange object, or shied away from it, or went right up to sniff it.

At three weeks, the pups had been barely able to get around and were still sleeping almost every minute they weren’t nursing. By eight weeks, when I returned to have them gambol all over me, they were rambunctious and fully capable of exploration.

The researchers won’t publicize the results until observers who never saw the puppies view and analyze the videos. But Dr. Lord said that wolf experts considered eight-week-old wolf puppies past the critical period. They were so friendly to me and others because they had been successfully socialized already.

Before and after the test, she collected urine, to measure levels of a hormone called cortisol, which rises during times of stress. If the pup in the video would not approach the jiggly monster and cortisol levels were high, that would indicate that the pup had begun to experience a level of fear of new things that could stop exploration. That would confirm the timing of the critical period.

Dr. Lord letting an eight-week-old wolf pup investigate the jiggly monster testing contraption she devised.

She and Dr. Karlsson and others from the lab also collected saliva for DNA testing. They planned to use a new technique called ATAC-seq that uses an enzyme to mark active genes. Then when the wolf DNA is fed into one of the advanced machines that map genomes, only the active genes would be on the map.

Dr. Genereux, who was isolating and then reading DNA, said she thought it was “a long shot” that they would find what they wanted. She and the other researchers plan to refine their techniques to ask the questions successfully.

When They Grow Up

And what are socialized wolves like when they grow up, once the mysterious genetic machinery of the dog and wolf direct them on their separate ways?

I also visited Wolf Park, in Battle Ground, Ind., a 65-acre zoo and research facility where Dana Drenzek, the manager, and Pat Goodmann, the senior animal curator, took me around and introduced me not only to puppies they were socializing, but to some adult wolves.

Timber, a mother of some of the pups at Wolf Park in Indiana.

In the 1970s, Ms. Goodmann worked with Erich Klinghammer, the founder of Wolf Park, to develop the 24/7 model for socializing wolf puppies, exposing them to humans and then also to other wolves, so they could relate to their own kind but accept the presence and attentions of humans, even intrusive ones like veterinarians.

The sprawling outdoor baby pen was filled with cots and hammocks for the volunteers, since the wolves were now nine and 11 weeks old and living outdoors all the time. There were plastic and plywood hiding places for the wolves and plenty of toys. It looked like a toddlers’ playground, except for the remnants of their meals — the odd deer clavicle or shin bone, and other assorted ribs, legs and shoulder bones, sometimes with skin and meat still attached.

The puppies were extremely friendly with the volunteers they knew, and mildly friendly with me. The adult wolves I met were also courteous, but remote. Two older males, Wotan and Wolfgang, each licked me once and walked away. Timber, the mother of some of the pups, and tiny at 50 pounds, also investigated me and then retired to a platform nearby.

Only Renki, an older wolf who had suffered from bone cancer and now got around on three legs, let me scratch his head for a while. None was bothered by my presence. None was more than mildly interested. None seemed to realize or care about my own intense desire to see the wolves, be near them, learn about them, touch them.

Pat Goodmann, the senior animal curator at Wolf Park.

A mobile of animal bones hangs over the nursery where pups at Wolf Park live until aged 5-6 weeks.

I saw how powerfully a visit with wolves could affect how you feel about the animals. I wanted to come back and help raise pups, and keep visiting so that I could say an adult wolf knew me in some way.

But I also wondered whether it was right to keep wolves in this setting. In the wild, they travel large distances and kill their food. These wolves were all bred in captivity and that was never a possibility for them.

But was I simply indulging a fantasy of getting close to nature? Was this in the same category as wanting a selfie with a captive tiger? What was best for the wolves themselves?

I asked Ms. Goodmann about it. She said that park operated on the idea that getting to know the park’s wolves, which had never been deprived of an earlier life in the wild, would make visitors care more for wild wolves, for conservation, for preserving a life for wild carnivores that they could never be part of.

And she noted that Wolf Park operates as a combination zoo and research station. Students and others from around the world compete to work as interns, helping with everything from raising puppies to emptying the fly traps.

This is the rationale for all zoos, and it was a strong argument. Then she made it stronger. She pointed out that one of the interns, Doug Smith, worked on the reintroduction of wild wolves to Yellowstone National Park.

Dana Drenzek, manager of Wolf Park, with a pup.ANDREW SPEAR FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

Haley Gorenflo, a volunteer at Wolf Park, howling with adolescent wolves.

Dr. Smith has had a major role in the Wolf Restoration Project from the very beginning in 1995 and has been project leader since 1997. I reached him one morning at his office at park headquarters and asked him about his time as an intern at Wolf Park.

“I hand-reared four wolf pups, sleeping with them on a mattress for six weeks,” he said. “It had a profound effect. It was the first wolf job I ever got in my life. It turned into my career.”

From there he went on to study wild wolves on Isle Royale in Michigan, and then to work with L. David Mech, a pioneering wolf biologist who is senior scientist with the U.S. Geological Survey and an adjunct professor at the University of Minnesota. Eventually, he went to Yellowstone to work on restoring wolves to the park.

He said ethical questions about keeping wild animals in captivity are difficult, even when every effort is made to enrich their lives. But places like Wolf Park provide great value, he said, if they can get people “to think about the plight of wolves across the world, and do something about it.”

In today’s environment, “with conservation on the run, nature on the run, you need them,” he added.

Then he said what all wolf specialists say: That even though wolf pups look like dogs, they are not, that keeping a wolf or a wolf-dog hybrid as a pet is a terrible idea.

“If you want a wolf,” he said, “get a dog.”