Today, in this age of information and instant gratification, with a credit card and a click of a mouse one can buy most any animal on planet earth!
It should disturb everyone that is sane, that there are more tigers in North Americas back yards, basements, garages and apartment buildings than there are left in the wild in the world!
Captive-bred wolves and wolf-dogs and other wild canids have become on of the fad pets of the last three decades.
The wolf is a powerful symbol for wilderness and balance of nature. Now these majestic beings sadly reside in cages and on chains in backyards across America. Crossing the wolf with the domestic dog creates an animal that is neither truly wild nor truly domestic, thus creating an animal with very specific and special needs in care and containment. Sold by unscrupulous breeders to uneducated owners, many of these magnificent animals find their way into homes of people who have neither the knowledge nor resources to give them what they need. The independent, intelligent, playful, predatory wolf nature is NOT for the casual pet owner. Yet many well intended but misinformed people acquire them with the notion that they are just dogs. Then they discover they cannot control or contain these animals. This tends to lead to frustration, abuse and ultimately, abandonment. Because of liability issues, animal shelters and agencies routinely euthanize suspected wolves or wolf dog crosses unless a suitable refuge can be found. At Wild Spirit all our wolves and wolf dogs are spayed or neutered. Injured animals are given veterinary care and close human observation and interaction before being placed in compatible pairs or groups of three in large enclosures with shelters and ponds in a natural environment depending on the animals’ needs or disposition. The name Wild Spirit was carefully selected to emphasize what sets the wolf apart from a domestic dog. These animals have a natural wild spirit, which can not be tamed or trained. We strive to remind people that they are wild spirited not mean spirited and are deserving of life a high quality of life! We receive calls and e-mails everyday from people asking us to rescue a wolf in need! The bitter disappointment is that we can’t rescue them all. Even if we could get them out of the heinous and horrible situations they often are in, where could they all go?We have the experience and the land to house the 50+ rescues we have, but not the financial resources needed to expand and give the thousands of wolves in need of safe sanctuary, optimum health, happiness and well being a place to be. Because of our current limited funding, we have to turn away hundreds of wolves and wolf dogs each year knowing full well what their fate may be.
My personal mission is to RESCUE as many of these endangered wolves and wolf dogs as often as possible, I just need to find better environments and better humans that can care for them the rest of their lives!
