January 6, 1999
To Whom It May Concern:
My name is Ronald M. Nowak. In 1973 I received a Ph.D. in biology
from the University of Kansas. For more than 30 years I have
been
studying the interrelationships and morphology of wolves and dogs and
have published many scientific papers thereon.
The wolf (Canis lupus) and domestic dog (Canis familiaris) are very
closely related. Some authorities consider them to be one and
the
same species. In any case, all physical evidence indicates that
the
dog was created by people, from the wolf, less than 15,000 years ago.
The wolf and dog hybridize readily and produce fertile
offspring in captivity. Such offspring then may breed among
themselves or be backcrossed easily to either of the parental
species. The resulting captive population contains individuals
that
may look like wolves, like dogs, or like anything inbetween.
Simply
examining an animal, or any component thereof, may be insufficient
to
determine whether it is a wolf or dog or has some particular
percentage of wolf or dog blood.
In my opinion, the very close relationship and morphology of the wolf
and domestic dog suggest that the physiological and immunological
properties of one would be much like those of the other, if there is
any difference at all. Based on such evidence, including my own
studies, there is no reason to think that a vaccine that worked for
one would not work for the other.
Ronald M. Nowak
2101 Greenwich Street
Falls Church, Virginia 22043