Sky

sex: male
born: May 1997
birth place: Colorado
champion: John Lehner

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: 03 January 1998

 

Sky's Story

Frank and Pat Wendland, cofounders of Wolf, were away on an emergency in Wisconsin, leaving the rescue in the care of one of the sanctuary’s capable volunteers, John. The Wendlands checked in with John every day to make sure all was running smoothly at the compound, and had spoken to John once in the morning of January 1^st. So it was unusual for him to be calling them for a second time on this particular New Year’s Day in 1998.

The Wendlands were slightly apprehensive as they took the call, hoping nothing had gone wrong at the rescue. But John was calling to let the Wendlands know that an animal needed help. It seems that a couple in the Denver area had a 7-month-old wolf-dog that they needed to place. You see, they were moving to Texas, and didn’t want to be bothered taking him with them. John wanted to know what to do: should he take the pup or not? The owners said they would deliver him, along with a temporary dog enclosure he could stay in, until it was decided whom he would be placed with permanently.

Frank and Pat told John to make the arrangements and bring Sky to Wolf. On January 2^nd, John again contacted the Wendlands. He told them that the owners called and said they did not have enough time to bring the pup to Wolf. So they were going to have him euthanized. If Wolf wanted Sky, arrangements would have to be made to pick him up. John said he would make the trip to Denver, if it was okay with Frank and Pat.

On January 3, 1998, John made the trip to Denver, kenneled Sky and made the trip back. Sky arrived at Wolf, still a pup. You could already see what a magnificent adult Sky would be. He was pure white, with the most beautiful yellow eyes you have ever seen, but he was very, very shy of people, as most wolves are. Sky was eventually placed in an enclosure with Ahzeem, and they bonded very well. Although Ahzeem is significantly smaller than Sky, Ahzeem is the dominant individual in the relationship. Periodically, Ahzeem will demonstrate his position by pinning Sky. However, he never causes any injuries. The majority of the time, they play a game we call ‘chase me, chase you’, which consists of taking turns chasing each other at high rates of speed over the entire enclosure. To watch this activity and the apparent lack of aggression or animosity and such an outpouring of energy is truly amazing. We have seen this same game played by a number of the groups at Wolf, and wish we could find a way for humans to enjoy this same type of relationship.

It has taken months of caring attention for Sky to bond as well with people. Sky is still a little shy, especially with new individuals, but has improved as time has gone by. Sky is now one of the favorites of visitors to Wolf, and continues to live happily with Ahzeem and another companion, Nugget. Every time we look at Sky and see the magnificent wolf he has become, we wonder: how anyone could even think of putting an animal to death because it is simply more convenient for them?

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