The ‘Wolf’ in ‘Sleep, Think, Die:’ My Response to a Reviewer’s Question.

After reading Book One in the Mindless Trilogy (thank you to the reader) someone commented in their review that wolves are not native to the UK. This is an excerpt from the part of the story that prompted that comment:

“Who knows?” She shrugged, “Never seen one before, though God knows we’ve seen plenty of other weird things round these parts,” she and Harry exchanged a look.

“What if it’s infected?” Lavender suddenly piped up, a worried expression on her face.

“What, like zombie-infected you mean?” Glenda paused, chewing her lip thoughtfully, “I don’t know. I’ve never seen any zombie-like animals. Have you?”

Carson and Lavender both shook their heads no.

“Did it act like it was some kind of four-legged zombie before it came at you?”

This to Carson, whose response was immediate, “No way! It was very much alive, believe me, when it was standing on the bank, snarling! But what the hell is it? It looks wolf-like, but its fangs and face are something else,”

Bumper, who had sat down awkwardly to lean against the guard around the manhole cover, said, “Maybe it is the result of a wolf mating with some kind of big domestic dog, a guard dog even. When the outbreak first began, I don’t think people’s first thoughts were for their animals! There was no time. What if, sometime since then, a wolf mated with, oh I don’t know, a mastiff, or a Cane Corso or something? That would be one hell of a canine to deal with!””

As I said, the reader is absolutely right to point out that wolves are not currently wild in the UK, though of course, historically they did exist here. However, what I was trying to get at in the story, admittedly somewhat obliquely,  is that in the event of a zombie apocalypse it is very likely that animals held in captivity, such as zoos, rescue centres, sanctuaries, animal hospitals and so on, might well suffer neglect, abandonment or worse due to their keepers being turned, eaten or simply running the hell away!  If they are lucky, perhaps they would be released into the wild to survive on their own. Everyone for themselves, type of thing. One last good thing their keepers could try to do for them before turning to matters of their own survival.

I admit that I don’t go into that in depth in the story, it is only briefly implied, but I didn’t think it was that big a deal. I never imagined a reader might expect me to expand on the existence of this Wolfdog species further (Wolfdogs do exist in the UK by the way. This from the PDSA: In the UK, F1 generation Wolfdogs where one parent is a wolf are subject to the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976 and require a licence to own. It is legal to own a Wolfdog as long as they are three generations (F3) away from the original parent wolf. )

So, the wolf-like dog that attacks Carson on the riverbank could well have been a Wolfdog that had somehow got free and was surviving alone in the apocalypse. Perhaps it was a combination of a Wolfdog with another breed, as suggested by Bumper. Or some other wolf-like breed altogether. What do you think the dog could be? What kind of breed? Where could it have come from?

I am afraid that I must let this reviewer down here and now (spoiler alert) and say that there is no further reference to wolves in the story, though wild dogs do feature later in the trilogy.

I don’t normally respond to observations in reviews. Everyone is entitled to their opinions and honestly, I am just grateful to anyone who takes the time to read my stories and then review them, whether they like my work or not. To the reader who reviewed with the comment about the wolf, thank you so much for taking the time and effort to comment, to read the book and to address the appearance of something wolf-like in the story. I appreciate your interest and the fact that you gave my story such thought and attention. I really hope you go on to read the other two books in the trilogy and that you enjoy them. I look forward to any more observations and I am sincerely flattered that anyone took the time. Thank you.

Should anyone be interested in the potential rewilding of wolves in the UK, perhaps take a look at this link. At present, there seems to be no projects underway to rewild wolves, because “society is not ready.” Quote from Rewilding Britain’s website: https://www.rewildingbritain.org.uk/reintroductions-key-species/key-species/eurasian-wolf

PDSA, The Vet Charity for Pets in Need, has some interesting advice for owning hybrid dogs and cats, including Wolfdogs, here: https://www.pdsa.org.uk/pet-help-and-advice/looking-after-your-pet/all-pets/hybrid-breeds

Lastly, should you happen to love wolves and are interested in helping them or simply learning more about them, take a look at Wolf Watch UK’s website here: https://wolfwatch.uk/

Image Credit: Wolf Watch UK (as featured on their website.)