"He might bite you honey, he's part wolf."
Every dog: 🐺
BardicRanger
What's weirder is that the entire town knows his name so OBVIOUSLY someone named him. Why would they give him name but still shit on him whenever he comes around?
j-Splash
"You hurt his feelings"
That little girl is so sweet oml 🥺
haneenasad
Yeah a small town like this Balto would be a known presence, and wouldn’t have been treated harshly unless he had done something to earn the town’s ire such as attacking people who give him treats.
theredsir
I mean I understand where Rosie’s dad is coming from being afraid that Balto would bite her but clearly he had no intention of doing it. Rosie’s dad happened to look at the situation the wrong way unfortunately and that broke my heart seeing Balto all sad 😢
juleejw
They never touch on this in the movie, so not relevant to Balto.
But in reality, wolfdog hybrids can be very 'dangerous' because they're unpredictable. The breed of dog you mix with the wolf can cause behavior problems typical to the breed (ex, huskies are very hard to train, stubborn, and hyperactive so they need a lot of patience, space, and activity to stimulate them) while adding a more defensive/aggressive response to typical dog behaviors. So, a simple startle that would make a dog jump may make a wolfdog bite. They have a more active prey drive, so cats and other small animals will be hunted with prejudice. Wolves are also pack animals, so a lot of wolfdogs have shown a crave for that same environment, which also means the same-sex aggression will happen. And because of that wolf-half, there is no real way to train or acclimate them to people well enough that they are considered 'safe' pets to own.
This is all based on accounts from others and I had a friend who had a wolfdog. But I also did research so I did not put foot in mouth. Wolfdog's aren't evil animals or straight up wild animals, but they are part wild animal and that doesn't just go away because you mix them with a domesticated dog. Just like there is always a chance a domesticated tiger will attack their owner, no matter how good or nice the owner treats them, there is always a chance that when the wolfdog reaches puberty, the wolf of the dog will be more prominent. It is a case-by-case study, but study has shown that the overall consensus is wolfdogs are not 'safe' pets to own because they can be very unpredictable.
kittycatkyla
My favorite line in the movie is I got people bumps. 😂 Love Balto
unhinged
Love this movie. It’s the last movie I watched with my grandmother and it always makes me think of her.
fablethewolf
Rewatched many times, animation was great ngl
jluna
Balto: “and your some weird ass alien man kicking dogs”
shototodoroki
“He might bite you he’s part wolf”
Meanwhile every dog on this planet coming from wolves:
Feral_Paw
I think the townspeople's prejudice towards Balto might have something to do with the time period the movie is set in, at least partially. The movie is set in the 1920's, and wolf conservation didn't get going until about the 1970's from what I've read. For centuries before that, wolves were wildly hated and feared by most people. So it is entirety possible that the hate Balto gets from the townsfolk in the film was influenced by those long forgotten fears and hatred of wolves in previous centuries. And again, since wolf conservation wouldn't be a thing decades AFTER the events of the movie, it's not that much of a stretch to think that those prejudices still linger in the townsfolk, especially when they're living out in the wilderness of Alaska where many animals and wildlife is percieved as dangerous in general. This isn't me defending how the townspeople treat Balto btw, I'm just trying to give some historical context for WHY they might be acting that way, even if its messed up and not right.
On a happier note, my neighbors actually had a wolf dog a few years ago. And he was the sweetest, most gentle and patient boy with us rowdy kids. He was an older boy, but he'd humor us whenever we tried to make him howl, and it was so majestic sounding. He was exactly 50% wolf, 50% husky. Love you, Cody❤🐺
shadowwatcherproductions
In real life, Balto wasn't even part wolf. He was a full bred husky. Steel looks more like Balto than Balto does.
Also it wasn't just one group of sled dogs that raced to get the medicine to town. It was several, each taking a few miles of the trail. One of the dog teams, with lead dog Togo, had to do two sections because the next team had a problem.
autumngalix
So, people who have owned wolf dogs have said that they are very hard to handle if not trained properly.
skits_d
In fairness, he is a stray. If there was a stray wolf hybrid wandering around my little town, I'd warn my kids from him too.
kayleighbrown
Now I wanna make a broadway musical from this
LukePayton-gd
This feels like a Naruto situation for some reason😅
xXHinatababezXx
I think its because hes seen as a feral street dog
bluesinsanityfantasy
It's kind of like the thing that you used to say about pitbulls but yes I completely agree it is stupid for them to reacting that way but due to the fact that this movie was released pretty long ago that stigmatization of a half wolf half dog breed is still in the movie and it's not like they can just change it, it's already been published in our world for a long time
lilypee
And they did the right thing frealkng out over slme strange dog lol like tf yall
