Ember is a 2-year-old wolf dog that was rescued last October. She came from a dog pound in California. She was deemed unadoptable and dangerous, and the staff did not enter her dog run. The picture of her showed her in her cage with feces everywhere and I could tell by the expression on her face that she was really stressed. They said she learned how to open the doors and almost got loose from there, so I knew she was very intelligent.
A local wolf rescue worked with animal control and got her out of the dog pound. I thought they were going to keep her, but a week later I got a text to call them. The rescue already had 18 wolves and wolf dogs and could not take her. They also informed me that there was a second wolf dog that they thought was a male that came in with her. He also needed a home. Cris and I worked for 4 days straight putting together a large enclosure with astroturf on top of welded wire so they could not dig out, 6-foot heavy duty panels stretching over 60 feet long and a roof over 20 feet wide. Some of our friends came and helped get supplies and put on the roof. It is impressive looking. There is a double gate and a hand-built doghouse for them also.
The rescue drove the two wolf dogs out to us, and we introduced them to the enclosure. They were afraid and running around unsure of the new place for some time. One or both vomited up a leash that had pictures of Chihuahuas in sombrero hats with the wording “we don’t need no stinkin leashes.” I thought that was funny as they obviously needed leashes and harnesses, or they would not have ended up in the pound. Also, they did not trust anyone, so to take them out was a disaster waiting to happen.
Ember acted like everything I offered her was poisoned. It was difficult to get her to eat anything and they both had horrible green diarrhea. They tested negative for parasites twice. They were both very thin and had dry brittle hair coats. Ember even turned away from meat and would look at me with distrust. Part of the contract was to spay and neuter them right away. This we did by putting a sedative in their meat and then transporting them to the mobile clinic out front. These surgeries went off with no problems and they recovered very quickly. Ember let me hand feed her and give her pain medication twice a day for five days and then she said that was enough. I felt like my progress with her, and Ash went backwards for a bit, but they recovered so fast, I just concentrated on earning their trust back and giving them reassurance.
I thought it was better to get the surgeries out of the way as soon as possible instead of waiting and losing their trust again. After they recovered, I would play bow to them and eventually they both wanted to chase and play. It took several months, but Ember started to trust me with her food and stopped looking at it like it was poisoned. She is a hog now and jumps around until I can put the bowl down for her to “wolf down”.
Ember has started kissing my hand now, too. Her eyes are gentle, and she lets me pet her. She is the alpha of the two and the male follows her lead. I am so impressed with her intelligence and the emotion that she shows to me and Ash. She is incredible!
Cris and I also built a much larger yard surrounding her enclosure that has 8-foot-tall fencing and buried wire under the fence. This took us 3 months to finish, and we did get help from two friends that came every weekend to help us which was hugely appreciated.
I just got the results back from their DNA test and they are primarily grey wolves. The other portion is northern breeds of dog. If you see them, they look like pure wolves. One thing to note is that they do not behave like domestic dogs. They are not outgoing like domestic dogs and are not at ease. They always seem to be on alert like wild animals. Wolf dogs have a hard time because they are not domestic, and they are not wild. They do not seem to fit anywhere and most of them end up dead by the age of two or are put into wolf hybrid rescues but most of rescues are full. I have always had a special place in my heart for them and Ember and Ash are number 9 and 10 that I have rescued over the years. We play together and always enjoy each other’s company. My other previous hybrids went hiking with me all over Colorado, Arizona and Utah mountains in remote areas. I know with time, Ember and Ash will get to go hiking also. Mutual trust and understanding goes a long way with these special creatures and I always consider their safety first.
Just a beautiful story!
Thank you it is an amazing story