Lakota

sex: male
born: 17 January 1998
birth place: Oklahoma
champions: Sharon & Kelly Claybrook

Almost every animal at Wolf has had a champion, someone who connected with them and their plight. A special person who went the distance to find them a home at Wolf. 

given sanctuary: 01 February 1999

 

Lakota's Story

Lakota was given the nickname "Lakota Boy" to differentiate him from another animal at Wolf, named Lakotah Sioux. He was approximately one year old when his people decided to move from Oklahoma to Colorado. At the request of his owners, their neighbors agreed to care for him for approximately one month. Supposedly, this was so Lakota’s owners could move and find a place where Lakota could live with them. As is the case with numerous wolf-dogs, his owners deserted Lakota, and the neighbors were in custody of an animal that they never had any intention of having.

Lakota was luckier than most wolf-dogs. He was left in the care of a mother and daughter who felt a responsibility to this animal, kept him and cared for him. Things were going well for Lakota, he had a home with two loving people, but, as often the case with wolf-dogs, Lakota was an escape artist. Houdini would have been proud of Lakota’s abilities.

Lakota was kept in the backyard and he was happy there. Then, one day, he discovered a small vent into the crawl space of the home. Digging at the vent, he worked it until at last it popped out. Lakota bit and dug at the hole until he was able to squeeze through and into the crawl space. Now, let me tell you that most animals would have probably been confused, but wolf-dogs learn from new experiences, and Lakota was no exception. Finding another vent across the other side of the house, Lakota immediately started working on that one. Within a short period of time, Lakota was free! Free of the confining yard and the crawl space, free to roam the neighborhood and discover all kinds of new and wonderful things, including new animals, trash-cans, gardens, and, of course, people. Lakota was having a great time, but the neighbors didn’t appreciate his explorations. The police were called, and Lakota was picked up by the local humane society. The two ladies that were caring for him were told to place him at a rescue or destroy him. It turned out that, like many wolf-dog owners, they had purchased the animal unaware of the fact that their local jurisdiction had an ordinance against the ownership of wolves and wolf-dogs. No matter what, Lakota was to get out of town.

After significant searching and perseverance, the ladies contacted Wolf. Arrangements were made for Lakota to be driven to the sanctuary by his current caretakers.

Lakota is supposedly a German Shepherd mix, and it was decided he would be placed in the same run as Sami and Kenai. Lakota had been raised by humans from a very early age, and therefore had absolutely no wolf manners. When puppies are left with their mothers or packs, they are taught appropriate behavior within that pack environment. Kenai and Sami immediately went to work teaching Lakota how to behave as a wolf should. With an extraordinary energy level, it takes both Sami and Kenai to keep him in line. Lakota still lives with Kenai and Sami, but occasionally he must be reminded of his manners.

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