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Wolf suffered a major loss, March 18th, as Zeke was diagnosed with severe cancer and euthanized. During the previous week he experienced a couple episodes of vomiting and lethargy for the day. However the following day he would be his old self: jumping, playing, nipping and being a general trickster. Not fully able to diagnose what was going on but believing that he may have an intestinal blockage, we made an appointment for him at our vet's (Priscilla Dressen). She believed it would be best to x-ray and see what was actually going on.
Upon her initial exam the determination was made to go ahead and operate without the x-ray as Zeke was running a temperature and his abdomen was somewhat distended. Once she opened him up it became very obvious that he was in the final stages of life from significant cancer. There was a tumor the size of a grapefruit that had grown into the lower stomach area and bowels. His lymph nodes were the size of plums, when they should only be the size of peas. The edges of his spleen were turning black and black spots were on his liver and kidneys. A blood test showed that the liver had already begun shutting down. The diseased areas were so significant that there was no hope for any type of operation or treatment. The decision was made to help him go forward. Frank and several volunteers joined Pat at Priscilla's clinic to say their goodbyes. At 3:46 p.m. he moved on with his journey.
Zeke
came to Wolf in February of
1995 when he was approximately 5 to 6 months old (he still had a
couple of baby teeth left). He had been running along the side of
the road in Golden. A sympathetic teacher picked him up and was
going to keep him until she realized what she had. She placed him
at the Larimer County Humane Society confident that someone would
adopt him. Wrong! When she found out that he would automatically
be euthanized, because of his genetics, she immediately began looking
for a better option. She found Wolf.
Zeke was placed with Sasha and Lara and adapted well to his new home. He immediately began emulating Sasha who was an excellent role model, even though somewhat suspicious of humans. The trickster in Sasha seemed to be passed on to Zeke.
After
Sasha's death and Zeke's surgery for a torn ACL, Zeke was moved
to the house pack to recuperate. Then with Lara's death and surgery
for Zeke's other ACL he never went back to his original enclosure.
He just seemed to fit the house pack situation better and was happy
with the arrangements.
Zeke was a favorite of many people who volunteered at the sanctuary. His personality would not let you ignore him. He teased people and animals alike and had a somewhat 'wild-eyed' look and attitude toward life. He will be missed immensely.
Gail
Daugherty started with Wolf just
over two and one half years ago. Gail began like every new volunteer,
scooping poop, changing waters, and filling feeders.
This process gave her a thorough familiarity of the animals at Wolf and the understanding of why wolf-dogs do not usually make good pets. During this time frame she formed a bond with Jazzy and decided to sponsor her with an adopt membership.
Originally from New Jersey, Gail and her husband moved to Colorado after retiring. As a schoolteacher for over 20 years, her organizational skills were honed.
With her background, she quickly became involved with the Wolf Educational Programs. Her natural abilities with children have been an added bonus for the effectiveness of the Wolf School Programs. She also proved to be extremely effective at public events: answering questions, handling animals and selling wolf-related merchandise.
It
was at this time she discovered that Pat probably fits somewhere at the
other end of the organizational spectrum. Gail made it her mission to
keep Pat from getting lost, loosing her keys and generally making sure
everything was available for Pat to give the presentation effectively.
Gail has been to programs and public events for Wolf
all over the state of Colorado.
Soon Gail was looking for other things she could help with. An obvious area that constantly needed help and organization was the volunteer program. She initiated the Wolf Volunteer Administrator position and has been serving in that role for over a year and one half.
Gail
is the person that every prospective volunteer contacts for information
and applications. She processes all of the paper work and insures that
nobody slips through the cracks. Serving in this position she has freed
up more of Frank's and Pat's time. This also helps Eric and Cheryl get
new volunteers scheduled faster and more efficiently.
Continuing
to pursue her mission to keep Pat organized; Gail recently accompanied
Pat to the TAOS Conference (The Association of Sanctuaries), in Albuquerque,
NM. This was invaluable, for Wolf,
as she attended all of the conference presentations that were important
to Wolf, which Pat could not attend.
Gail's positive attitude makes her a pleasure for everyone associated with Wolf to work with. Her willingness to help whenever and wherever she is needed has made her an asset that would be difficult for Wolf to function effectively without.
Bottom line Gail is every organizations dream and we feel blessed to have her helping with the mission of Wolf.
We would like to thank Gail for her valuable assistance and we pray that she continues to support Wolf in its efforts for many years to come.
WOLF, Post Office Box 1544, La Porte, CO 80535 - USA