It's Illegal to Have This Dog Breed as A Pet in Illinois

Pet ownership has gone up since the pandemic. There are a lot more animals in homes now than ever before, but in Illinois, there is one breed you CAN NOT have in your home.

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Pawlicy shared some data about the increasing numbers of animals in homes. In Illinois, a total of 46.6% of households have pets with 32.4% owning dogs and 21% owning cats. So, it's fair to say Illinois is a dog lover's state. However, there is one dog that is off-limits and you can not own.

Wolfdogs

To be honest, I have never heard of this breed but it exists, and it's exactly what it sounds like. A domestic dog bread with a wolf. Illinois is one of 12 states that has made it illegal to have this breed in your home. It's a hot topic among breeders who say these dogs can be trained but there are some that say this type of breed is dangerous. The main reason for these nails being banned is that there are no vacations for this breed, because of the wild animal DNA.

What’s more, there’s no approved rabies vaccination for wolfdogs. While the federal government officially sees them as domestic pets (and leaves their regulation to individual states and municipalities), they’re treated as wild animals when it comes to rabies. So, a wolfdog who bites a person can be considered a rabies risk — even if they’ve been vaccinated.

Wild Spirit on Unsplash

There are other animals that you can not own in Illinois. These are more on the exotic list.

Bear
Lion
Tiger
Leopard
Wolf
Coyote
Hyena
Bobcat

These are just a few of the animals you can't own in Illinois. So remember, before you breed know the law in your state, or better yet, adopt don't stop.