News, Spring 2010, page 2

Volunteer of the Quarter - Steve Shaffer

Healing At The Sanctuary

When a newly rescued animal comes to the Sanctuary it is very easy, for those involved, to see how damaged they are, physically and emotionally. However, most of the time we are not photo-documenting the extent of their trauma. We are so busy and concerned with getting them settled and beginning their treatment that it doesn’t even dawn on us to get “before” photos.

We do believe it is important though, for you to get a better understanding of what your donations allow to be accomplished for these individuals. We also feel that the best way of letting you know how their healing is progressing is to have the volunteers, who work with them regularly, tell the story of what advancements they have seen with specific animals.

We are hopeful that the following short stories or reports will give you the same sort of affirmation about your efforts as they do for us. Wolf does not force anything on the residents, so although the progress with some of the more severely traumatized individuals, is very slow, the results are even more rewarding when it does occur.

Karen Silva reports on the Wisconsin Animals

I’d never witnessed such sheer terror of humans as when I first met the animals, from Wisconsin, who were temporarily fostered at WideAwake. It took almost 2 years for most of them to feel comfortable enough with me to wag their tails when I approached, eat treats and food from my hand, for even a few to let me touch them.

The most remarkable healing I witnessed was J.J. She was one of the most terrified and based on what we knew of her story, it was no wonder. One day, my foot slipped as I was shoveling, and the snow came down on her head. She’d been watching me from about 6 feet away. I was afraid it would scare her, but she just sat there and blinked. A couple days later, she came to the fence and sniffed my glove. A day after that, I sat down in her enclosure. She came right up to me, pawed several times at my outstretched hand, flopped over for a short belly rub, kissed me on the lips and then rubbed her face on mine. I was completely astonished and of course, elated. I didn’t expect that!

She became more and more confident, greeting me with hugs and kisses before I even sat down, and would insert herself between Atlantis and me when he began to seek attention. I will always be J.J.’s human, always love all the animals, always feel honored and blessed to have been a part of their healing. It wouldn’t have been possible without the compassion of Wolf, its volunteers and supporters. May God bless you forever.

Michael Hogan reports on Arkte

When Arkte was first brought to Wolf, (Dec 2006), I recall that she was very intolerant of humans. Unlike most of the mistreated animals given sanctuary, her actions manifested as aggression and defensive behavior. She was very easily riled when people were nearby, or when other animals around her received attention. She behaved destructively by trying to tear up the logs and dig guards in her enclosure, and when she became really agitated she would stand on her hind legs and violently shake her fence. Her offensive behavior even led her to prevent people from interacting with her pack-mate, Rachane, despite his interest in receiving attention.

In the years that Arkte has been at Wolf, she has calmed down significantly, and is much more tolerant of people today. She no longer chases Rachane away from the fence when people are nearby, and will eagerly approach with him to receive treats, if there are any to be had. She still exhibits some of her old behaviors: growling at people who enter her enclosure to do chores, or showing a flash of teeth at the fence if she thinks someone is getting too close, but she has shown remarkable improvement in her behavior, and acceptance of humans.

Steve Shaffer reports on Boots & Lena

Wolf tries very hard to evaluate each animal’s need based on their unique personality and history. Due to the extreme abuse which obviously occurred, Boots and Lena’s habitat (a half-acre beauty) was mandated to be “off-limits” – basically just get the chores done and leave.

Last September, the decision was made to start with small steps to help them adjust to “good” humans. I gratefully accepted the challenge, though with not much hope of making significant headway. The plan was to spend calm time in their enclosure in the hopes they’d get more used to human presence.

After 3 months of volunteering three days a week following this plan, Lena finally stopped her frantic pacing and watched me work. At times, she would be down at the gate to “greet” me before running back up the mountain. Boots had slowed down his pacing at the top of his habitat (200’ away) -- slight progress, but progress nonetheless.

In the past 5 months, Boots will stand and watch me and from time to time, come within 50 feet of me. Of course he’s more apt to do so as I’m on my way out! Lena will come within three or four yards of me as she continues training me on where to leave her treats.

They’ve taught me patience and the ability to appreciate each step of their recovery. Even though their wounds are huge, I rejoice at their healing process, albeit slow, and know why Wolf exists.

Susan Weidel reports on Mucqua, Hammer & Kasota

Last fall, I started working with three of the wolves who were rescued from deplorable conditions in Wisconsin: Mucqua, Hammer and Kasota. Hammer had lost his mate, Mucqua had lost his eyes, and Kasota was the self-appointed guardian of these fragile boys.

My goal was to see if these wolves could overcome their fear of humans after the horrific treatment they received in Wisconsin. I knew it would be a slow and perhaps impossible task.

I started with very small steps. I sat in on a log, read poetry aloud, and never made any sudden moves. Weeks passed and I started to bring treats to little Mucqua in his corner, to Hammer in his house and to Kasota who kept a watchful eye on me as she paced the enclosure. My first breakthrough came when Kasota finally stopped pacing. She climbed to the roof of her dog house, ate the treats, and took a nap in the sun. This was the first sign of trust after weeks of a careful and quiet vigil. It was an amazing act on Kasota’s part and I was elated. We were forming a relationship -- she was indeed beginning to heal.

By January I was leaving a “Hansel & Gretel” trail of treats from the dog houses to the log where I always sit. First Kasota followed the trail and came to within three feet of me to get her treats. Then Mucqua and Hammer left their houses and followed the trail. They came close –not as close as Kasota – but closer than ever before.

My goal now is to have each wolf take treats from my hand. I feel enormous respect when I see how brave these wolves are. As I watch them take their first cautious moves toward me, I’m filled with awe at what huge steps they are taking. I promise them every week that I will never betray the trust they have shown me. I know that as they learn to trust me, they will be healing the enormous wounds left by the humans from their past.

Deena Steward reports on Rajan
Rajan was very social with women when he came to Wolf in March of 2008, but not very willing to visit with men. Although he was tolerant of their slow advances, he would definitely not initiate anything. He was chosen to be one of our Ambassador Wolves because of this tolerance. His acceptance of new people and new situations has steadily been improving.

Rajan surprised me though at a Public Event not that long ago. He allowed an older gentleman to not only pet him, but then gave him a kiss on the face as well – making that man’s day and demonstrating for me how far he has truly come in his emotional well-being.

Barbara English reports on Gina

Last year, when I started volunteering at Wolf, one of my favorites was a shy female named Gina. Her right ear had been injured and she had only half an ear on that side. This only made her cuter and more endearing to me. Whenever I entered the enclosure, she would pace nervously at the far end, keeping her distance. I would sit quietly, calling to her in soothing tones and tossing an occasional treat in an effort to draw her near.

As time went by, she approached closer and closer. She would stop and look carefully around me to ascertain if I was alone. Eventually, she was cautiously coming within arm’s length of me. Finally, one day after several months of patiently nurturing her trust, she allowed me to touch her. Gina has recently passed away but, I will never forget the thrill of that touch and what it symbolized with her healing.

Donna Nayduch reports on Cherokee, Makoce, Tate & Sara

It has been 11 years and more than 66 wolves later that I came to sanctuary. Yes, sanctuary - a place of refuge and healing, sometimes for the people, always for the wolves. I know every name and see the eyes of each, even those long gone. They come for freedom even in an enclosure, freedom from the worst -- a pack that hurts instead of loves. That pack was human. At the Sanctuary, they find friendship and the love they expect from the pack. They accept the humans into the pack, not domination by a human. We live by their rules, protect them and bring safety, and learn how to work wolf life into our own. What an odd pack? Not really, this is Wolf.

There are too many stories to tell but yet they need to be told. I start with Cherokee who was placed into a pack of 4. Spirit and Cheyenne were best friends and loved the human members of the pack. Bear was the leader and although he wanted pets and kisses, he was always careful. Cherokee, hid behind so afraid to be looked at let alone touched. But with patience over time, he would start to sit behind his pack with the human, then touch the back, and then finally, as long as she didn’t look, the human could pet his chest and belly waiting anxiously behind. Cherokee passed with the first evacuation for a canyon fire. He left as quietly as he came but knowing he had been loved.

Three puppies arrived one day. They hid in the grass and ran from people. Who knows what they had already experienced in their brief life. A great wolf, Whisper, offered to be the surrogate mother. Over the first year, she carefully showed them that humans can be kind and that their touch is safe. She brought these pups closer and closer until finally, safe on the other side of her “mom”, Makoce allowed the human to pet her belly until she was courageous enough to scout around the human on her own. Her brother Tate was right behind. Whisper is now in a different run and the “kids” do not touch people but they come close for treats. Better yet, they come close and lie down to sleep. Trust. It’s all about trust.

There are so many beaten by their humans, locked up, muzzled, starved, abandoned. Sara remained afraid of tall men with beards and hats after a beating with a 2 x 4, but she knew the legs of her caretakers at Wolf were always a place of refuge.

They chose not fear but instead to live, love, and trust their pack mates knowing here there is no harm, no pain –only the loving howls of both wolf and human pack together.

Michelle Proulx reports on J.J.

I met J.J. a year and a half ago when she arrived at the Sanctuary from her foster location. She is a beautiful yet anxious wolf-dog who seems unable to sit still. When I would approach her enclosure to give her treats (a little wet dog food) she would run and pace in circles with her companion, Atlantis, as far away from me as she could get. It wasn’t until I would leave that she would race down, eat the treats and shoot back up to the top of her enclosure (over a quarter-acre in size).

Yet the other day as I was outside the fence throwing treats into the enclosure, I was surprised to find J.J. standing not six feet from me, watching. As I sat down I was even more shocked when she edged closer and quickly ate some of the dog food lying in the snow. Within a few minutes I had coaxed her right to the fence across from me. While she wasn’t willing to eat directly from the spoon, as soon as the food touched the ground she would eat it, step back and patiently wait for more. When she had her fill she calmly turned around and walked away. Needless to say, to be offered that kind of trust from an animal that had been so horribly treated, before coming to Wolf, was truly a deeply moving experience and demonstrated how amazing her capacity to heal is.

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