I was not trying to say they were not pure it was just a passing comment as most people do think that the Alsation is some how related to the wolf and some times you can see why if you study them
I think you'll find Alsatians are no more related to wolves than Spaniels, Great Danes, Pekingese or virtually virtually any other breed of Dog. They have come to superficially resemble the Wolf by selective breeding for their shape and appearance (pointed ears, muzzle etc).
The breeds of Domestic dogs probably most recently derived from Wolves and so the most closely related to them are the so-called 'Spitz' breeds- Husky, Malamute, Elkhound, Japanese Akita etc.
Obviously some Wolves in Zoos do carry domestic(dog)blood or even are straight crossbreds. Look for any of the following characteristics, any one of which is a sign of impurity; wrong colour or markings, heavy body, long coat, curled tail, white markings, floppy ears- these are all giveaways to an impure animal.
If you look on the Cefy-yr- Erw(Welsh Monkey Sanctuary) Gallery pages there are some photos there of their older wolves, which are obviously dog/wolf hybrids, as well as some newer, probably pure wolves from Germany.
