So I wrote a majority of this out in the KKIR discord server but I quite liked it so im throwing it here as well. As always these are just my personal opinions and ideas and if you disagree no worries! This isnt meant to be any sort of attacking post towards those who lean towards the Hatake + Wolf idea but its just explain why, to me, the Hatake + Dog idea works better. This'll get long so I apologize in advance. I'm not quite sure how tumblr works so I am unaware of how to do the "read more" option so feel free to scroll if you don't wanna read a bunch of yapping. Anyways here we go.
To start this off I joined the Naruto fandom quite late. As in the year type of late. And as in Naruto the Manga and Anime are older than I am sort of late. So I was not around for the forming of some of the Original™ theories and headcanons. I got into the series by myself and therefore created my own headcanons and ideas based in what id seen, not on what I saw in the fandom. This is not at all a negative thing in any sense, I just find it curious how, in this particular scenario and idea imma talk about, there's another idea that's sorta been pushed aside in a way. To begin with this in Canon we all know that Kakashi has his lil pack of dogs. It is a hard fact that yes, at least for Kakashi, there is a connection to dogs established to exist for the Hatakes, even if only observed in a single member. However I find it quite interesting how the fandom has created the idea of Hatakes & Wolves being a thing instead of just using dogs. I assume its to differentiate the Hatakes from the Inuzuka but I still find it fascinating. Because truth be told the Hatakes are much, much more dog-coded then I think they are wolf-coded.
Before I begin this mess let me give some more context and information. Dogs are dogs. We know dogs. But everyone may not be aware of the types of dogs there are and im not talking about different breeds or whatnot. No, im talking about the different roles dogs can have. Dogs can have a vast variety of purposes whether it range from searching dogs, service dogs, emotional support dogs, herding dogs, and, the one we are gonna focus on here, livestock guardian dogs.
For those not familiar with livestock guardians they are a type of dog that focus primarily on protecting livestock from any threats. They are often stocky, strong, and deeply loyal. And also very stubborn. While there are multiple different breeds of dogs who are livestock guardians, the one I'll focus on are the Great Pyrenees since I live with em.
Great Pyrenees are large, fluffy white dogs who looks like a walking marshmallow. They are used to scare away predators with their constant barking but when needed they can fight back. They are known to be very very chill and stubborn, often ignoring orders and wandering off to go explore what they believe is their territory.
Now, why do I mention all of this? Simple. While the Inuzuka may be a dog clan, so can the Hatake. The clans would just use their dogs for different reasons. The Inuzuka dogs may be hunters and fighters while the Hatake dogs may be herders and guardians. Hell with the way Kiba uses Akamaru vs how Kakashi uses his pack id argue this is Canon in a way. But anyway, what im getting at is the Hatake = Dogs makes more sense then Hatake = Wolves, at least to me. Because sure there are definitely some traits the two can share, I ultimately believe the rather laid back yet strongly loyal Kakashi fits more with a dog than a wolf.
Now, how about Sakumo? In fics its typically him with a wolf or the wolf summons, so maybe the Hatake can equal both dogs and wolves. Except for a detail I want to add:
If a working dog cannot work they are retired.
If a working dog cannot do their work, they are considered useless to those who are utilizing them.
The instance Sakumo failed to do what he'd been told to do he was disgraced and shamed. And what'd he do? He ignored a command in order to protect his team. He chose to be loyal to his people rather than to an order. Maybe im looking far too deep into nothing. Maybe im just losing my mind. But to me this fits so perfectly with both of the Hatakes that I cannot just brush it off.
Does this make any sense? Probably not. Should I stop writing out ideas i have in the middle of the night? Probably. But hey if this does somehow make even the slightest bit of sense or if someone stumbles across this and has any ideas or thoughts to add onto lemme know and feel free to do so! I'm all up for talking about Naruto headcanons and ideas. Anyway uh until next time when I inevitable talk even more about the Hatakes.