Nika Shaga

sex: male
born: 16 February 1995
birth place: Colorado
died: 19 September 2005

given sanctuary: 01 March 1995

 

 

 

 

Nika's Memorial
see Newsletter - Fall 05 (click)


Nika's Story

Nika received his name when he was only 4 weeks old. As a puppy, he would grab the scruff of his siblings, shake them and growl, earning him the nickname of 'Killer'. Some friends suggested that we change it before it stuck and name him Nika Shaga, which meant killer in Osage. It seemed a much nicer way of saying the same thing, and we accepted.

His story, although typical, could have had a much worse ending. Wolf received a phone call from a terribly distraught individual who was trying to find a home for nine puppies and their mom. The family who owned them were being forced to move from their home, and could not find another home that would allow animals. They had contacted the humane society, and were told that all wolf-dogs that are surrendered by their owners are automatically euthanized. This approach is used pretty universally across the United States.

Unfortunately, a legal case in Florida a number of years ago set a precedent that has unfairly penalized wolf-dogs ever since. A family had adopted a wolf-dog from their local shelter, and it ended up killing a small child in their home. Even though the incidence ratios for wolf-dogs causing fatal injuries is pretty far down the list compared to other large-breed dogs, the jury found in favor of the plaintiffs. Therefore, insurance carriers will not cover the liability involved with the adoption of wolf-dogs from shelters.

The woman who talked with us was frantic, and could not believe that this approach was reasonable. The individual she had spoken to at the humane society suggested that she call us. As the story unfolded, it appeared to be another low-wattage human story. The mom of the pups, Kodiak, was purported to be a 75% arctic wolf and 25% husky. She was pure white and very beautiful. The owners opted to lock her in the garage when she went into season, instead of having her spayed. As nature would have it, they came home from work one day to find that she had eaten through the wall of the garage, and was in the backyard with a pure husky. They therefore perceived that the pups had a husky father.

Although Wolf tries to accept only the higher percentage wolf-dogs that are more difficult to place, we could not say no to these helpless, seemingly doomed animals. We accepted them, and watched them closely as they grew and developed their own personalities. We were looking for the traits that would determine whether or not they could be adopted out to families. We ended up placing five of the puppies and keeping the other four. As they matured and exhibited their adult traits, it became apparent that the husky was not the only male to have visited the backyard the day they were conceived. We see a number physical traits that are related to Chow.

We also learned some invaluable lessons about the social and training behaviors demonstrated by these animals, even when they are captive. The alpha male of the house pack, Sasha, adopted these pups and became their patient, yet insistent, instructor. Watching them imitate his behavior, and get reprimanded when they were out-of-line, was amazing. Encouraging them to fight back by pushing them down a snow bank was hilarious. Their biological mom and their adopted dad switched off responsibility, and showed patience that most humans only dream about.

Kodiak also demonstrated very clearly to us that the predatory nature of these animals is always there. At eight months-of-age, she obviously decided it was time for them to learn how to kill. Unfortunately, the only critter around for them to practice on was Xavier (another wolf-dog at the sanctuary). Also unfortunate, the training exercise occurred while there was no one at the facility. When Xavier was found, he was very close to death and was immediately rushed to the CSU Vet Teaching Hospital where, after 3 weeks, he was finally released and is currently doing fine. The four pups continue to do well, but are the most problematic when it comes to shedding. They have more of the chow fur, and will not allow us to brush them.

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