
Rami
sex: female
born:
16 February 1995
birth
place: Colorado
given
sanctuary: 01 March 1995
Rami's Story
Rami is one of the sweetest animals at the sanctuary, willing to snuggle up to any human for attention. She is also one of the most alpha females in the house pack, and will initiate an attack against another female in order to prove her position. These dichotomies are exactly the reason that a lot of wolf-dogs get themselves into trouble, even if they are fairly low-percentage wolf.
Her story,
although tragic, 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 was 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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