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Welcome Castiel, Amaris & Indigo Remembering Frackette, Lance, Orion Spotlight - Laporte Animal Clinic Summer 2016

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W O L F

Welcome Castiel, Amaris & IndigoRemembering Frackette, Lance, OrionSpotlight - Laporte Animal Clinic Summer 2016

Summer 2016 W.O.L.F.1

Ways to help W.O.L.F. that also benefit YOU!We make it easy to do good. All of these programs help support the wolf dogs we serve.

Want to get rid of that old vehicle, even if it's not running? The CARS program has partnered with W.O.L.F. to take nearly any unwanted motorized vehicle: car, truck, trailer, boat, RV, motor-cycle, off-road vehicle and even heavy equipment. The process is quick and easy, and CARS even tows away the vehicle for free! To start the donation process or to get more info, call 855-500-RIDE (7433) or go online at www.cardonatingiseasy.org.

Like tasty, organic, fair-trade wine? W.O.L.F. now has its own line from "Mellowulf Vineyards" with labels featuring our very own wolf dogs! The six delicious varieties (all have different labels) are great for special occasions, gift giving and wine tasting parties. About $6 from each bottle purchase comes to W.O.L.F. Shop now at www.Benefit-Wines.com and choose W.O.L.F. from the listed charities.

Don’t forget to check out our new W.O.L.F.-only clothing and other mer-chandise, and help promote the Sanctuary! There are also numerous businesses that donate a portion of their sales to our organization so you are sure to find something to love. Find your new wardrobe and other goodies at www.wolfsanctuary.net/store.

(WOLF)DOG DAYS OF SUMMER CHALLENGE: Summer vacations are coming to an end, and many people are busy ramping up for the start of the school year. When it comes to running a sanctuary, there are no sum-mer vacations, and education for staff, volunteers and the general public is year-round. That’s why we need your help to keep our 365-day, 24/7 operations running smoothly. We’re launching “The (WOLF)Dog Days of Summer Challenge” – a way for you to support our precious animals year-round with just a few clicks and a few minutes of your time. Our goal is to have 50 new monthly donors (at $10+ per month) sign up by September 30th—that’s about one new monthly donor a day. For only about 33 cents each day (less than the price of a cup of coffee!) you’ll know your donation is caring for our wolf dogs every single day of the year. Your ongoing support makes it possible for us to rescue animals in need like our “new boy” Castiel. To become a monthly donor, visit www.wolfsanctuary.net/get-involved/. Thank you for your support!

Summer 2016W.O.L.F.

Mission: To improve the quality of life for wolves and wolf dogs through:

Reproduction of materials from this publication is permitted provided that the content is not altered and credit is given.

“Reprinted from W.O.L.F.- www.wolfsanctuary.net”

In This IssueThe Little Wolf from Los Angeles.................................... 3At the start of the 4th of July weekend, W.O.L.F.’s Rescue Coordinator received a request for help from Apex Wolf Protection Project, a California rescue partner.

Remembering Frackette................................................... 5Originally at a breeding facility in Arizona that was being shut down in 2002, Frack-ette was at risk of being killed when W.O.L.F. found out about her plight.

Amaris & Indigo Come Home............................................. 7On Tuesday, July 12 W.O.L.F. received an urgent message. Two wolf dogs had gotten away from their caretaker and were loose in wolf country.

Veterinary Spotlight: Dr. Marta Dean............................... 15In this newsletter, we conclude our spotlight on the veterinarians who have done so much to help W.O.L.F.’s animals live long and healthy lives.

IRS Tax Exempt Status Under Section 501(c)(3)Colorado Nonprofit & Tax Exempt Corporation

United States Department of Agriculture, LicensedColorado Parks and Wildlife, Licensed

American Sanctuary Association, AccreditedCommunity Shares of Colorado, Member

Save captive-born wolves and wolf dogs who need sanctuary in order to survive;Provide a life-long home at W.O.L.F. in a natural habitat that takes into account each individual’s physical, medical & emotional needs;Provide the public with education about the plight of wolves and wolf dogs (both captive-born and wild) to help foster a greater un-derstanding of them and their value.

Rescue -

Sanctuary -

Education -

Remembering Lance..........................................................13A breeder who did not take good care of her animals suddenly found she couldn’t keep the wolves anymore, so the question became: kill them or give them away?

Remembering Orion ......................................................... 17May of 2015, W.O.L.F. was contacted by Navajo County Animal Control in Arizona about a wolf dog they had caught up outside of a reservation harassing livestock.

Cover Photo: Reese

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Summer 2016 W.O.L.F.3

The Little Wolf from L.A.By Susan Weidel & Michelle Proulx

At the start of the 4th of July weekend, W.O.L.F.’s Rescue Coordinator received a re-quest for help from APEX Wolf Protection Project, a California rescue partner. They were desperate to help a young male wolf dog in a county shelter in Los Angeles. They had not been able to identify an appropriate placement in S. California and he could not be adopted to a private individual. Thus began the three-day odyssey that brought the little wolf dog we named Castiel to safety at W.O.L.F. Castiel’s rescue saga had its start on the streets of South Central Los Angeles, a very rough neighborhood for a weak and sickly wolf dog. An Animal Control officer received a call about a dog who was running loose in a city park. The officer went to the area and started to track the young wolf. He was very frightened, and because his feet were infected and swollen, he was not able to run away. The officer was able to catch him up and transported him to the Downey Animal Care

Facility of Los Angeles County. The young wolf was covered in ticks and fleas, emaciated, and suffering from a severe case of mange. He had most likely been on his own for some time. He had a collar but no identification or microchip. The shelter provided medical help, but personnel were not familiar with wolf dogs and were reluctant to handle him. The young wolf dog was placed on a shelter “hold” until July 3. After that date, he was most likely destined for euthanasia because wolf dogs are not adopted out to the general public. Two days after he was brought into the shel-ter, W.O.L.F.’s Executive Director Shelley Coldiron and Director of Animal Care Michelle Proulx saw the pictures and heard the story of the little sickly wolf dog. They immediately agreed to bring him

to W.O.L.F. The next three days were a whirlwind of activity to arrange for transport, coordinate the transfer with APEX and shelter personnel, put to-gether a transport team, and get to L.A. before the hold was lifted. Because it was a holiday weekend and the time for rescue was very short, it was a challenge to get flights lined up, rent a large van in California for the trip back to Colorado and get to the L.A. Shelter as quickly as possible. But as luck would have it, everything fell into place; early on Sunday, July 3rd, W.O.L.F. staff and volunteers flew into LAX. Within an hour of landing, they met APEX at the shelter in Downey where Castiel was be-ing held. Once the paperwork for the transfer was

Summer 2016W.O.L.F. 4

completed, W.O.L.F. finally got to see its newest resident for the first time.

Castiel was terrified when staff came around his kennel, cowering in the farthest cor-ner from them. Judging from his reactions, it was determined that they would try leashing him and allowing him to walk into the travel crate under his own power, rather than pick him up or force him. As W.O.L.F.’s animal caretaker entered the en-closure with the slip lead, Castiel tucked his head into the corner as if to say, “If I can’t see you, you can’t see me.” His reactions and physical condi-tion were heartbreaking, but this little boy walked easily, albeit nervously, on the leash into his crate, without once trying to run away or bite in fear. Once in the crate, it was time for the long drive back to Colorado. Castiel settled down quickly once they got on the road, though for the most part he stayed awake. Every time the hu-mans stopped for a bite to eat on the long drive home, Castiel was offered some as well, usually in the form of a cheeseburger, which he was happy to eat. By 8:30 a.m. on July 4th, Castiel arrived

at Wellington Veterinary Hospital where Dr. Teva Stone had graciously agreed to see him. It was very clear that he was not in good shape, and Dr. Stone began the exam with every-one expecting to find the worst. However, as the results of the tests started coming in, everyone was pleasantly surprised by what was not show-ing up. Overall his blood work looked good; he tested negative for both heartworm and Giardia, and there was no evidence of him having any in-testinal parasites. He did, however, have a severe case of mange that had caused a lot of inflamma-tion and sores on his feet. He also had a huge tick infestation and, despite having been treated at the shelter for external parasites, over 100 live ticks were pulled off of him at the clinic.

To help the treatment for the mange, Cas-tiel was also given a bath with some medicated shampoo. It was a huge surprise to see when the grey wolf dog who went into the tub came out white! Throughout this whole experience, Castiel was amazing, nervous to be sure, but he allowed staff to do what needed to be done with little objec-tion. We asked Dr. Stone how old she thought he was, but she was unsure. Some things presented as being very young, while others suggested he might be older. Our best guess at this point is that Castiel is somewhere between 6 and 18 months old. Hopefully once he regains his health, we will be able to determine a more accurate age. Castiel was given medications to help treat his issues, along with pain meds for his feet. He went to our off-site infirmary where he could be closely monitored and have his feet treated before

(Story continued on page 12)

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Frackette’s story before coming to W.O.L.F. is one of our more heartbreaking tales. Originally at a breeding facility in Arizona that was being shut down in 2002, Frackette and 13 other wolves were at risk of being killed when W.O.L.F. found out about their plight. We couldn’t take any at the Sanctuary but we also couldn’t let the animals die, so we began trying to find places for them to go. Eventually a facility in Texas stepped forward, saying they could take all 14 if they could get the money for the rescue. W.O.L.F. helped raise funds to get Frackette and her companions transported to Texas, relieved that someone had the space to be able to help. Unfortunately, this “sanc-tuary” turned out the be no such thing. Later that same year we received another plea for money from the Texas facility when the animals started dying. Distemper, a preventable disease, had broken out among the wolves and wolf dogs. The sanctuary operators had failed to show for three eviction hearings and were eventually evicted from the property. Obviously the funds that had been donated to this facility were not going to the care of the animals and, again, emergency life-saving measures were required. W.O.L.F. gathered a group of volunteers and quickly traveled to save the surviving animals. Of the 75 wolves and wolf dogs ‘rescued’ by this ‘sanctuary’ (including the 14 from Arizona), only 43 were accounted for. The census of these remaining animals was 18 had died of distemper, 20 were still alive and 5 had been re-homed. Sadly only two of the 14 animals we helped place there from Arizona were still alive, Frackette and her brother Beowulf. The surviving animals were treated and eventually re-homed to appropriate lo-cations, and Frackette and Beowulf made their way to Colorado. Unfortunately, W.O.L.F. still did not have space for these two, but we felt respon-sible for their plight and couldn’t justify sending them to another facility, so we arranged for them to go into a foster situation until space opened up at the Sanctuary. In 2011, Frackette and Beowulf were finally able to come to W.O.L.F. Frackette never really wanted much to do with her human caretakers while she was with Beowulf. After Beowulf died in 2011, Frackette was paired with a much younger and social male named Loki, and we began to see more of Frackette. She would race after her companion and watch him interact with their caretakers. Eventually she started coming to the fence to take treats off the spoon and became our champion spoon thief. In fact, it was because of her success that we had to modify the handles of the spoons so that we could keep a grip on them! When she would get frustrated at the lack of food or speed with which it was being offered, she would often paw at the ground to get some attention. Frackette even had a special bark that she would use for one of her caretakers whenever he walked by. On May 4 we noticed Frackette having some difficulty with her balance and she appeared to be in pain. She had been having some issues with brain lesions over the pre-vious months as a result of surviving the distemper, but this was different. A vet visit re-vealed that something was very wrong, and the problem was unlikely related to the other concerns we had been treating. A large hemangiosarcoma was discovered in her lower abdomen. With the size and type of cancer we knew that, even with surgery, her chances of living more than a month were extremely low, if she even survived the procedure. The decision was made to help her pass. We are grateful she was able to remain active until the end and that her passing was quick. Frackette had just turned 15 years old.

Remembering FracketteBy Michelle Proulx

Summer 2016 W.O.L.F.

en route, more information about the girls’ story came to light. Originally they had been purchased from a breeder in the Frasier River Valley in Brit-ish Columbia for $1,000 each and brought into the Untied States. The woman who purchased them was afraid that if anyone found out she had wolf dogs, they would be taken from her, so she kept their existence as quiet as possible. To the best of our knowledge, these girls lived for the first eight years of their lives in a 10’x12’ kennel with a con-crete floor as well as a roof. The sides of the ken-nel had been boarded up to hide the girls from

view. It is unlikely they had any veterinary care while with the woman. When she and her husband fell on hard times and their home was repossessed, she surrendered them to a dog rescue in Easton,

WA. For the first time in their lives they had space to move around. And move around they did. The gentleman who owned the rescue did not

have the facility to contain two high-content wolf dogs bent on exploring their new-found freedom,

life (WFW) did not want them to continue running free and potentially interbreed with the local wild wolves. Their plan was to simply shoot both girls and be done with the problem, but outcry from the local community made them pause and contact Wolf Haven. If permanent placement could be found by four p.m. that day, WFW would attempt to capture the girls. If that wasn’t accomplished, they would follow through with their original plan to shoot them. We were stunned; the siblings had just three hours left to live. Luckily W.O.L.F. had openings and agreed to take both girls immedi-ately. Eventually WFW, with help from Wolf Ha-ven staff, were able to corner the girls under a deck and dart them. Once sedated, they were placed in a large culvert trap until they could be trans-ferred to W.O.L.F. We did not want them to have to spend any more time than abso-lutely necessary in the culvert, so we started making plans to go out and get them as soon as possible. Wolf Haven agreed to pick up the girls

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Amaris & Indigo Come HomeBy Michelle Proulx & Bob Proulx

On Tuesday, July 12 W.O.L.F. re-ceived an urgent message from Wolf Haven International. Two sibling wolf dog females had gotten loose from their care-taker in Washing-ton State and were running wild in wolf country. Because they were both in-tact, the Washington State Fish and Wild-

Amaris Indigo

from WFW and drive them to Idaho to ren-dezvous with the W.O.L.F. transport team. By eight a.m. Wednesday morning, W.O.L.F. had every-thing arranged, in-cluding spay surger-ies for the next day. By three p.m. Wednesday, the W.O.L.F. transport team was on the road to Idaho. While

Summer 2016W.O.L.F.

and the girls easily (and repeatedly) escaped their 1.5 acre enclosure. While they stuck around his property, their ranging and howling disturbed the neighbors, who contacted the WFW and the rest, as they say, is history.

At one a.m. Thursday, the W.O.L.F. transport team met up with the folks from Wolf Ha-ven in a gas station parking lot in Idaho and got their first glimpse of the girls, Moon and Indigo. Both were nervous but calm with the transfer, and it was time to turn around and head home.

By 11 a.m. Thursday, Moon and Indigo ar-rived at Wellington Veterinary Hospital for their health checks, vaccinations and spay surgeries. Needless to say, it was a very long day for the girls, but they handled it beautifully and came out with a clean bill of health! We decided that the name Moon was just a little too plain for her, so we decided to change it to Amaris, which means “child of the moon.” Indigo’s name remained un-changed. By 8 p.m. that night, the girls finally ar-rived at their new home.

The next few days with the girls proved to be challenging for staff. The stress of relocation seemed to hit them all at once, and they became very panicky whenever someone was nearby. We

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were told that Amaris was a proficient and persis-tent digger, so we double checked all of the fence lines before the girls were brought in. Coming into the enclosure for the first time, they dashed out of their kennels and settled in to their new digs. In-deed, new digging commenced soon after, but the big surprise came when Indigo, the “quiet one,” proved herself adept at climbing. With the aid of a tree, she managed to squeeze herself into a nar-row gap between two chain link fences, leaving her vulnerable to the unwanted attention of her neighbors Loki and Zoey. Luckily she was able to extricate herself (though not without putting her tail in harm’s way against Loki’s fence), but with that brief, nail-biting (for us) adventure, we had to remedy the situation immediately. They were coaxed and locked into the lower portion of the catch area, and we commenced to “climb-proof” the fence with electric wire.

That was Friday. Saturday morning brought a new discovery. With what we believe to be hom-age to “Star Wars,” Amaris had found a weakness in our defenses, in the form of a section of dig guard fence that years ago had been clipped and wrapped around a tree stump, which had since rotted, making for easy removal by experienced claws. This jagged opening, no bigger than the burrow of a swamp rat (actually no more than 12 inches wide), was enough for both 90-pound girls to squeeze through into the upper catch area. Clearly the previous caretaker in Washington was not exaggerating when he warned us of this. Blocking the gap with rebar, we gave them access to both catch areas, and waited…

Amaris’ Hole Under the Fence

(Story continued on page 12)

Summer 2016 W.O.L.F.

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Zoey & Loki

Summer 2016 W.O.L.F.11

The Great Growlsby a Huge Success!!

“The Great Growlsby” gala fundraiser was a HUGE success! Thanks to all of you who donated and bid generously, W.O.L.F. raised nearly $68,000 net at this year's gala--a major increase over last year's event! Supporters from as far away as California and Florida attended and added to the festive flavor of the 1920s-themed evening. We want to express thanks to our auction donors and generous sponsors for helping us reach this milestone. Next year's gala fundraiser is "Wolfstock" and will be held April 22nd, again at the elegant Fort Collins Hilton. Have your 60s outfit come back in style for one night of fun, fine food and great happenings! Stay tuned for further details in future newsletters.

Peace, Love, Wolf!

Summer 2016W.O.L.F. 12

(Continued from page 4) being asked to navigate the rough ter-rain at the Sanctuary. Over the next several weeks, Castiel (named after the Angel of Resurrection from the show Supernatural) was given lots of TLC from staff and volun-teers while he recovered from his illnesses; he was also given as much food as he wanted to help him start putting on weight. Throughout his stay, Castiel was nervous around people but did not appear to like being alone. When people were with him, he would stay near them and watch. He tolerated their attention as they continued to put salve on his feet and bathe

him to help the healing process. By July 19th Castiel was healthy enough to make the final leg of his journey to the Sanctu-ary. He arrived early in the morn-ing and was walked on a leash into his enclosure. Castiel was very nervous as, once again, his world was turning upside down, but he seemed to adapt quickly to his new surroundings once peo-ple let him settle in. Now that he has space to roam, Castiel tends to avoid his caretakers when they enter his enclosure. We have high hopes that with a little bit of time, a lot of TLC and the right companion, Castiel will blossom

into a handsome, confident individual.

(Continued from page 8) The week brought little activity, and the quietude lulled us into a false sense of satisfaction. Thursday morning revealed Ama-ris had been hard at work under cover of darkness. She had opened up a new hole, that is to say trench, about six feet long and

deep enough under the dig guard to put her within a leg’s length of Loki and certain disaster. More emergency shoring up of the hillside was in order. The intelligence, determination and athleti-cism of wolves is awe-inspiring, and going head-to-head with them in a game they are better suited for can be a humbling experience. Since their last attempt at the Great Escape, they have started to come down from their adrenaline high, perhaps

realizing that things aren’t so bad here. We give them space (physical and emotional), food, shel-ter and safety; in return, they give us exercise (physical and emotional), and the need to practice daily diligence—not so bad for either of us, really. Amaris and Indigo are perfect examples of wolf ingenuity, showing how challenging they are to keep in captivity, especially as pets. Despite their challenging behavior, we are thrilled to have been able to save their lives and join our family. They will certainly keep us on our toes and show us that, even after 21 years of rescuing and caring for wolves, there is still much to learn. We are looking forward to getting to know these beautiful girls for many years to come.

Want to become Castiel, Amaris or Indigo’s Guardian Angel?

Go to www.BiddingOwl.com/WOLFSanctuary today for your chance to help care for these amazing wolves. Hurry, bidding ends August 30th!

Summer 2016 W.O.L.F.13

By now Lance’s story before coming to W.O.L.F. is a familiar one. A breeder who did not take good care of her animals suddenly found that she couldn’t keep the wolves anymore, so the question became: kill them or give them away? For Lance, this question was asked in May of 2006 when the owner of the breeding facility in Wisconsin died sud-denly, and the animals were left in the care of the local humane society. Lance was one of the 18 animals who were deemed “saveable” enough to try to nurse back to health. When we were contacted about them, W.O.L.F. did not have room at the Sanctuary but knew Lance and his companions had very little chance of getting placed elsewhere. Because of this, we decided to set up a temporary facility in another county until they could be brought to W.O.L.F. So in June of 2006, Lance and his 17 companions made their way to Colorado. Initially, Lance was paired with a female from that rescue named Luna. Both were unsocial but, considering their history, this was not unexpected or unwarranted behavior. They were allowed as much space away from people as possible. At first, Lance would frantically run his enclosure whenever anyone got near, but eventually he began to relax into his new surroundings. Luna was always the bold one of the group, and Lance was more than happy to let her be his defender. Unfortunately, in October of 2008, it became necessary to shut down our second-ary facility suddenly. Lance and Luna had to be moved to W.O.L.F. The move was very stressful and seemed to set his recovery back. Eventually, Lance calmed to the point where he would not pace continually when his caretakers would walk by. He also loved to get meat and would often hover just outside of a ten-foot radius of the volunteers to try to snatch up the best piece of meat before Luna did. When Luna died in early 2010, Lance was paired with another female from the same rescue named Pride. We had hoped that Pride, who had become moderately social since their rescue, would continue to help Lance become more confident around his caretak-ers. Although this did not happen, Lance and Pride soon became inseparable. Wherever one was, you would be sure to find the other. Content to spend most of their time observ-ing from the top of the enclosure, Lance was most often found watching the goings on around him from his favorite bush. In July 2015, we discovered a number of masses during his routine wellness exam. Concerned about the possible causes, Lance was immediately brought to Wellington Vet-erinary Hospital for a more in-depth exam. What we discovered broke our hearts. The masses were cancerous and, judging from the ultrasound, had already spread into his lymph nodes. Because of his age and the fact that the cancer already showed evidence of spreading, it was decided not to surgically remove the tumor and, instead, try to manage his condition and provide comfort as best as possible with medications. Lance lived a happy, energetic life for almost a year after he was diagnosed. His appetite and activity levels remained high, and he showed no signs of being in pain. In early May, we noticed Lance was not as interested in coming down for his meat and seemed to be having trouble walking. It quickly became apparent that something drastic had changed suddenly with his condition, and a vet was called to come out to take a look. When the vet saw him, she new the situation had become unmanageable and suggested we help Lance pass. He was helped to cross the Rainbow Bridge with Pride nearby.

Remembering LanceBy Michelle Proulx

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Spotlight: Dr. Marta DeanBy Susan Weidel

In this edi-tion, we conclude our spotlight on the veterinarians who have done so much to help W.O.L.F.’s animals live long and healthy lives. We are pleased to introduce Dr. Marta Dean. Dr. Dean is a 1990 graduate of Colorado State Uni-versity, College of Veterinary Medicine

and has practiced for 26 years. She and her hus-band Dr. Andrew Dean founded the Laporte Ani-mal Clinic in 1996. They specialize in small ani-mals, exotics, horses, alpacas and llamas. Both doctors previously worked at several very busy small animal and mixed animal practices and wanted to create a more one-on-one approach to veterinary medicine while still offering the highest quality care. The Laporte Animal Clinic is the clos-est veterinary facility to W.O.L.F.’s location. Dr. Dean has a lifelong interest in wildlife medicine and has done volunteer work with wild-life since she was in high school. During her vet school years, she worked in a wildlife disease lab, completed a preceptorship at the Denver Zoo, and worked with raptor rehabilitation. Dr. Dean started working with W.O.L.F. in 2012 after the High Park Fire. She has been in-volved in a variety of activi-ties at the Sanctuary includ-ing routine and non-routine catch-ups, treatment and ex-aminations. One of the things she noted is that working with wolves and wolf dogs in a sanctuary setting is very dif-ferent from her small animal practice in a clinic. Working

with wolves involves the logistics of catching them up and treatment that may be based on observa-tion without much hands-on evaluation. She also noted that wolves have metabolic and dietary dif-ferences from dogs. Dr. Dean says, “Wolves seem to be tougher in many ways than dogs, and they often take higher doses of medication, especially oral tranquilizers, in order to achieve the desired sedation. They have less dental disease than dogs and seem to have less intestinal and skin problems as well.” One of the characteristics about wolves that Dr. Dean finds fascinating is how long wolves live in a sanctuary setting. “They live a surpris-ingly long time, especially when well cared for in a facility like W.O.L.F. Many of the health prob-lems we have seen are age-related things, such as cancers.” Dr. Dean also commented on how stoic wolves and wolf dogs are. “They hide illness well as a survival skill, as do many wild animals.” In her experience, there is a certain unpredictabil-ity about how long it will take and how difficult it will be to catch up certain individual animals for treatment. It can be a challenge, and sometimes sedatives are needed. Sedatives can work very differently in each individual animal. It makes the practice with wolves very interesting and different from the clinic aspects of her practice. Dr. Dean agrees with W.O.L.F.’s philoso-phy that wolves and wolf dogs are not really suit-ed to private ownership. “I think captive breeding by private individuals is a bad idea because the general public is not equipped to handle the spe-

cial needs of these animals.” They are not dogs, and they have specific requirements for food, containment, and enrichment that make it very costly and time consuming to properly care for them. Most people are simply not set up to handle the complex needs of these wild animals. She fa-

Summer 2016W.O.L.F. 16

vors the argument that cap-tive breeding only applies to zoos and reintroduction populations that have con-trolled breeding situations, where the genetics of the line of animals are registered and carefully monitored in a world-wide information net-work to keep rare types and sub-species in existence. Dr. Dean said that it has been a great privilege to work with wolves and wolf dogs at W.O.L.F. They are beautiful animals, and they are very sturdy, well-adapted creatures. She enjoys

working with the staff and volunteers who are always available to help when she does a hands-on field exam. “It is challenging and reward-ing work.” She also enjoys collaborating with W.O.L.F.’s Executive Director Shelley Coldiron, retired veterinary surgeon Dr. Ron Bright, and

W.O.L.F’s other consulting veterinarians from Wellington Veterinary Hospital and Four Seasons Veterinary Specialists. We are able to share infor-mation and ideas to provide the best care possible to the animals at the Sanctuary.

A Truly WOLF Affair 2017

April 22, 2017 at The Hilton Ft. Collins, CO

The WhooooIzzy Hendrix

SpartanaTonka, Reese, Pax, & Thor

Sasha Na NaCanned Meat

Cree’s Clearwater Revival JJ Joplin

Outlaw GuthrieKai & The Family Bone

Rajan SebastianJef-FUR-son Airplane

Itchy HavensZoey Baez

with

Summer 2016 W.O.L.F.17

Summer 2016W.O.L.F. 18

Orion was our miracle, one we did not expect to have the privilege to get to know. In May of 2015, W.O.L.F. was contacted by Navajo County Animal Control in Arizona about a wolf dog they had caught up that had been harassing livestock outside of a reservation. Since we had helped them out with a similar situation back in 2013, they were wonder-ing if we could rescue this boy as well. They hadn’t been able to do any exams on him but thought he was relatively young, between two and three years old. W.O.L.F. had the space, so we agreed to help. Since they had done nothing with him at the shelter, and it was unlikely he had ever had any kind of care before being caught up, we made arrangements for Orion (named after the constellation that watched over us during the long journey back to Colorado) to go immediately to the vet for an exam upon arriving in Colorado. At the start of the exam, a couple of things became immediately apparent. One was that Orion was old, though the vet couldn’t say anything more specific than “ancient.” Two, he had a very distended gut. There were two possible culprits: either a heavy parasite load or heart disease. Though we were hoping it was parasites, we found out that it was his heart. Because of how bad it looked on the ultrasound, the vet wasn’t sure if he would live longer that a week or two at most. It didn’t feel right to help Orion pass then and there, especially with what he had just been put through over the last month, so when we found out that the condition was not really painful and could be managed with medications, we decided to give that a try. Even if Orion only had a few more days to live, he would at least get to experience some freedom again. For the first week, we watched him with baited breath, waiting for a sign that it was time. Then into the second....and third. To our delight, Orion didn’t seem to be suffering or getting worse. In fact, he was improving! He had a good appetite, his belly was getting smaller, and he was actively engaging with his neighbors. He even reacted fairly calmly about his caretakers being in his enclosure. Orion would join in the chorus with a beauti-fully deep howl that would echo throughout the canyon, or sometimes sing solo. When-ever we would walk one of the other wolves past his enclosure, he would run his fence line, hackles raised as he defended his territory from intruders. Because of the severity of his heart condition and the number of medications he was on, Orion was never able to have a companion animal join him in his enclosure. He did not seem to mind, however, and seemed content to interact with his neighbors through the fences. Over the following months, we continued to be amazed by his determination and strove to help him live comfortably by modifying his medications as needed. Starting in April of 2016, we began to notice that his medications weren’t managing his condition as well as they once had. Though his appetite and attitude remained normal, his belly kept getting bigger no matter how we modified his medications. Because of the type of heart condition he had, allowing him to pass on his own of pulmonary hyperten-sion would have been the equivalent of allowing Orion to drown. We knew we had to take action sooner rather than later to save him from that suffering. On June 8, we finally made the difficult decision to help Orion pass. He was sur-rounded by the people that got to know and love him for the last year as his spirit was helped to cross the Rainbow Bridge.

Remembering OrionBy Michelle Proulx

W.O.L.F. SanctuaryPost Office Box 1544Laporte, CO 80535-1544

NON-PROFITUS POSTAGE

PAIDFort Collins, COPermit No. 627

Summer 2016

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