Jack Loses His Battle

When Jack came to WideAwake (read WideAwake Rescue) on June 1st 2006, it was very obvious he had experienced severe trauma. He had damage to his left eye, making it useless and he was quick to snap and bite. He was paired with Pride and the two seemed to have a budding relationship. His striking good looks earned the nickname Capt. Jack Sparrow.

After being rushed to the Vet Hospital on December 7th and being stabilized, he did very well through the night. In the morning he received x-ray and ultrasound tests. By early afternoon the picture was becoming sadly clear. A portion of a lung had a blockage, an area of his intestines was necrotic due to a blood clot and the right heart was failing. The diagnosis was not good -- he had Vena Caval Syndrome. These complications were from the most serious stage of heart worms. It occurs when numerous adult worms die and start clogging blood vessels. The only remedy would be open-heart surgery, but the odds of success were slim and has a high mortality rate.

We began making arrangements to bring Jack to see Pride one more time. He would be euthanized where his companion could understand what was happening, to aid in her closure. We believe strongly that this approach to an animal’s passing is the most appropriate. In the middle of working out these logistics, another phone call informed us that Jack was digressing rapidly and again having trouble breathing. He would probably not live long enough to make the trip to WideAwake.

We visited with Jack, looking for the correct answer. There was no doubt, he was ready to go. It was also very obvious that even his short time at Wolf had made a difference. During his treatment, he appreciated being scratched and even put his head on the laps of those caring for him. Not once did he attempt to bite. A number of volunteers helped Jack outside into the snow and aided his passing. His remains were brought up to WideAwake the next day for Pride and others to say their farewells.

Memories of Ashley & Jasmine

It makes no difference how old they are -- our heads knew they were almost 19 years of age. Never mind that it is totally unrealistic, our hearts, our very human hearts, hope...

The ‘Ancient Ones’, as we lovingly referred to Ashley and Jasmine, have been amazing us for years. Although they have shown some signs of aging in recent years, with Jasmine losing her eyesight and slowing down and Ashley experiencing small strokes, neither one was giving up on life.

They were considered beyond their prime when they arrived at Wolf -- siblings that were nine years old, starving and had watched their sister die. The next ten years they remained together, playing and fighting as siblings do. Ashley the dominant sister, would regularly pin Jasmine and make her scream. Jasmine was never injured, so the humans eventually accepted the ritual.

On Monday, November 20th, Jasmine experienced some sort of episode. It was obvious that although very slow, she was still in control and getting to her water and house just fine. We have been feeding her by hand, so food was not a problem. First thing Tuesday morning, we were again checking on her when we found Ashley in an awkward position and struggling to breath. She had experienced small strokes before, but this one was severe. She was made comfortable and passed very peacefully within five minutes.

Jasmine was alone for the first time in her long life, but seemed to be doing OK with it. Then the big snow came and it was necessary to move her to our Wolf geriatric run. Everyone at Wolf did what we do best, spoiled her. We all knew that she would not stay with us much longer.

On December 27th, Jasmine was struggling to breath and could no longer get up by herself, even though she was comfortable in her rather luxurious dog house. On the morning of the 28th it was obvious that she was ready to leave. After some profound good-bye's our vet helped her to pass. Her last breath taken, the rest of the wolves at the Sanctuary began a very mournful howl.

Ashley and Jasmine were with us for so many years we still expect them to be here and we find ourselves wondering, who was that I saw out of the corner of my eye? Could the ‘Ancient Ones’ be paying a visit?