Wolf & Wolf-Dog Placement/Rescue Information

Placement for any animal, but especially wolves and wolf-dogs should be taken very seriously and be considered only as a last resort. Many resources are available on the internet for working with behavioral issues as well as fencing issues. Be prepared for blunt, honest and blatant answers to questions and problems from any source you contact.

http://www.wolfsanctuary.net/88-special/88-19-AerialSanctuary.htm#Safety

Behavioral issues are very common with wolf-dogs who are kept as single pets. Wolves and Wolf-Dogs are very social animals and human companionship alone is rarely enough to meet their social needs. Please do not compound the problem by acquiring another animal if you are not willing to dedicate the effort required to follow through. Usually a large-breed adult rescue domestic dog of the opposite sex is a better companion choice than another wolf-dog.

Fencing and containment problems should not be attempted to be remedied in small steps. This simply teaches the animal new escape skills, step by step. Do your best to fix every possible issue (and beyond!) at once.

Please be aware that placement of animals is very difficult and requires a significant expenditure of resources. There are a substantial number of animals in need of new homes, wolves and wolf-dogs in need of new homes is a significant problem in the US, there are simply not enough facilities across the country to handle the entirety of the problem. W.O.L.F. is currently at its operating capacity and cannot accept new animals. We are willing to put out a “Rescue Alert” for animals in need of placement to a network of nationwide rescues and sanctuaries.

Please provide as much lead-time as possible, short deadline placement requests are rarely successful.

Step One: Do you really have a wolf or wolf-dog? A significant number of animals that pass through our rescue network are not actually wolf-dogs. Labeling an animal as a wolf-dog when in need of a new home reduces their chance of actually finding a new home by 70%. Many pet owners misunderstand what their animal actually is. If you are unsure, email us a good photo or three, we’ll give you an honest visual evaluation.

Step Two: Below is the information we need in order to send out a Rescue Alert:

Please copy and paste the text below, fill in as much information as possible and email to: rescue@wolfsanctuary.net

Your:

- Location (city, State):

- Contact information (name, email and/or phone number):

- Availability to transport (how far?):

- Financial assistance for rescue (not required):

- Please tell us why you are seeking a new home for your animal:

Animal:

- Photos *Required!* (a good head shot, showing the eyes/a good full body shot from the side) – Please attach to email

- Vital Statistics (age, weight, sex, etc.)

- Personality (good with people, children, other animals/dogs, alpha type, ?)

- Medical History (sterilized, problems, vaccination history, etc.)

- Where did the animal come from? (Breeder’s name, shelter, friend, etc.)

- Any other information that will help with placement.

Frequently Asked Questions:

- Why do you require photos of my animal?

We, as well as every rescue and sanctuary we work with requires visual confirmation that an animal we will put rescue resources towards falls into the class of animal we rescue.

- How do I take a good photo of my wolf-dog?

Take the photo outdoors if possible, with the sun roughly behind the photographer and the animal filling the majority of the photo frame. Keep the animal out of shadows if possible. Avoid taking pictures through fences or kennels if possible. Image sizes of 1200 pixels wide (landscape) or 1200 pixels tall (portrait) at 75% jpeg quality preferred. If you don’t know what that means, don’t worry about it, we just need the best photos you can give us. Don’t send us close-up photos of the animals paws/tail/etc, full body and face photos only please.

- Why are you asking for money when I am giving you a wolf-dog I paid $2000 for?!

Your animal is not an asset, whether they are suitable to be adopted out to a new home or will live out their life at a sanctuary, a significant amount money will be spent to try to save their life. If you can afford to contribute to that please do, if you can not we understand.

- I was told my wolf-dog is 93 percent Indian Wolf and 7 percent Husky… Now you are telling me I have an Alaskan Malamute, what gives?

Many breeders lie about wolf content. Second-hand animals tend to gain more wolf content each time they change hands. We will give you and honest and unbiased visual assessment of your animal. We love all dogs too, but our focus is on wolves and wolf-dogs. We do not have the resources to help domestic dogs, conversely we are not going to knowingly send a wolf-dog into the domestic dog rescue groups. There are only 5 valid subspecies of Grey Wolf found in North America today, if you were told your animal is an invalid or extinct subspecies, chances are good you were lied to. Consider this a blessing, your animal just gained a 70% better chance of finding a home, now we’ll do our best to direct you to a domestic dog rescue.

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