Merlin

sex: male
born: 28 April 1997
birth place: Vermont
champion: Shanti Kantha

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: 24 September 1997

 

Merlin's Story

At 5½ months of age when he arrived at Wolf, Merlin was one of the largest pups we had ever seen. His size and energy level were the main reasons why Merlin had lived in a small kennel from 6 weeks of age until he arrived at Wolf. However, the people caring for him did the best they could. A woman in Vermont, believing a wolf-dog was what she wanted to have as a pet, purchased Merlin when he was 3 weeks old. The lady loved him or he probably would have met the fate of thousands of other wolf-dog pups in the United States. Thousands of wolf-dogs are euthanized every year. Many more unlucky ones are beaten, chained, or the worst fate of all, abandoned in some wooded area and left to starve to death. Merlin was one of the lucky ones. At 6 weeks of age his owner realized she had made a serious error in purchasing Merlin, as she just could not handle him. He was big and full of energy, knocking things over, breaking knick-knacks, chewing on everything in the house, escaping from the yard and in general being exactly what he was: a wolf-dog puppy.

Merlin’s owner knew if she could not control him at 6 weeks of age, she would never be able to take care of him when he was older and would more than likely weigh over 100 lbs. He was taken to her veterinarian’s clinic, where he lived until his new caretakers found Wolf. Merlin had two champions at the clinic, the veterinarian, and the vet-tech who worked with her. These kind people loved and cared for him, making sure he was fed, watered, exercised and played with. The vet-tech even took him home with her on occasion, and had she been in a position to keep him, we are sure she would have.

At approximately the same time, Zeke and Artemis were grieving for the loss of their companion, Sasha. Arrangements were made to fly Merlin to Colorado and his second new home, Wolf. When he arrived, he was placed in the enclosure where Zeke and Artemis lived. We positioned humans at the corners of the enclosure to observe behavior and prepare to break up any uncomfortable situations. Fortunately, the three bonded very well, and lived happily together until Zeke’s untimely death in 2002.

Merlin has grown to approximately 120 lbs. and exhibits a very mischievous personality. He tests every individual he encounters, two-legged and four-legged. His overtures are of a playful nature, pulling and nipping at anything he can. Humans have lost tie-strings on jackets, ball caps, shoe laces, and hair ties to him. Remembering that these playful overtures have a very serious implication in the wild is important. This playful testing establishes the dominance structure within the pack. This premise is why Wolf has a policy of never “playing” with any of the animals at the Sanctuary. Playing establishes an equal status that can then be challenged through that playful exercise. Even if the play never elevated to an all out dominance challenge, just the form of play used by wolves is more extreme than most humans can handle comfortably.

After the deaths of two other animals, a single male named Peter was left alone in 2003. It was decided to move him in with Merlin and Artemis. The first couple weeks were a little shaky, as Merlin felt he needed to assert himself over the exuberant, puppy-like Peter. Once Merlin established himself as the alpha male, the three bonded into one big happy family. Shortly after that, Merlin began his career as an Ambassador Animal. He attends many public events and educational programs yearly, and has helped teach the value of wolves to thousands of adult and children over the years. Merlin is one of the sweetest animals you could ever meet. Anyone brave enough to slip past his large body at the gate is greeted with excited sniffing and expected to give him a good butt scratch. The three get many visitors due to their good nature, as well as their strict diets based on Artemis being a diabetic. Despite the restricted diet, you can tell Merlin is not missing any meals. Unfortunately, tragedy struck again when Peter passed away after a short illness in 2006. The two grieved for the loss of their companion, but still remain together, healthy and happy. They enjoy their enclosure next to the main gate, as they try to beg food and attention from any human who enters it.

 

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