Owner Abandoned Wolfdog At Kill Shelter When He Got Too Big To Handle, But This Sanctuary Rescued Him
The strength, instincts, intelligence and social skills of the wolf are what make it one of the most respected animals in the world. This incredible animal has appeared in legends, books, films, paintings and other cultural elements for centuries.
It seems that life continues to challenge Yuki, but we are sure that SWS is the right place for her to receive love, care and treatment.
The strength, instincts, intelligence and social skills of the wolf are what make it one of the most respected animals in the world. This incredible animal has appeared in legends, books, films, paintings and other cultural elements for centuries. So it is understandable that people have learned to love them, and with the idea of combining the best of both worlds, the wolf dog was born, since both belong to the Canis species.
And if you see Yuki, you will not doubt that she is a wolf dog, one of the most “wolf” of the sanctuary she is in.
“His DNA test says he is 87.5% grey wolf, 8.6% Siberian Husky and 3.9% German Shepherd,” said Brittany Allen, of the Shy Wolf Sanctuary.
More info: shywolfsanctuary.org | Facebook
In this picture, Yuki looks so big that he is intimidating, and he has conquered the Internet. Brittany, who appears in the photo, is 5’5″ and claims that Yuki is not as big as he looks, and he weighs 55 kilos.
Many people say the picture is photoshopped, but they explained that “it’s the angle that makes it huge. Everyone has one.”
Photo credit: brit_allen_
“We rescued him from a difficult situation. They bought him from a breeder, but realized he was too big to handle. They abandoned him in a shelter when he was only 8 months old to be put down. Then we came and provided him with a home, he’s been with us ever since.”
Photo credit: Shy Wolf Sanctuary
The volunteers at the sanctuary have been sharing photos of Yuki since 2012, and their impressions of her personality: “He loves women, showing off to visitors and fooling around.”
“Yuki lets you know if he wants you in his compound or not. There’s a small group of women he lets in, and we call them his ‘harem’,” explained Judy, a volunteer who gained Yuki’s trust.
The Shy Wolf Sanctuary Education & Experience Center was founded in 2001 by Nancy Smith, and provides sanctuary and rehabilitation for wild and captive-bred wolves and other exotic animals.
This 2.5-acre property in Naples, Florida, is the permanent home to 60 animals each year.
Its mission is to “reconnect people and animals through education,” so the staff and 30 active volunteers help the animals and educate people about the importance of protecting them.
Wolf dogs are considered unsuitable for domestic animal services, so this sanctuary is literally their last chance to get help and find a home.
“They are creatures that demand respect. It would be a very different encounter if it were in nature. The animals I work with have never lived in nature and never will, so they are more socialized.
We show their lovable moments by hoping that people will identify with them and change their response from fear to healthy respect through education.
And we also give them the opportunity for a decent life, otherwise they would be sacrificed,” Brittany said.
Most wolves stay away from people, without being aggressive, but wolf dogs are unique. They have a mixture of traits that makes their behavior less predictable than that of a wolf or a dog.
So, by adopting them, they are a unique challenge and people are not aware of it. Especially if they are bought as pups, it is impossible to predict how much wolf there will be in the animal.
“They’re harder in my opinion, because you don’t know exactly how much wolf and dog behavior they’ll have. Yuki is not necessarily more sociable than pure wolves.
We have wolves that run away when they see people because they are shy. Yuki runs towards that new person, and if he doesn’t like it he’ll become aggressive towards her. With the wolves, once they know you and feel comfortable, they will be affectionate, although they will always be wolves, you have to respect their limits and not come between them and their food.
Both are social with the people they accept, but very selective. It applies to others too, when they accept you, the bond is unique.”
“Today, Yuki is one of the most interesting animals in the sanctuary. It’s not easy to meet him, but he has made friends with some volunteers.
We call him ‘Woowoo’ because it’s the noise he makes when he sees them, so they go and spend time with him,” said Jeremy Albrecht.
After years of taking care of Yuki, the sanctuary received the sad news that he is suffering from blood cancer, although it is not noticeable at first sight.
“He was diagnosed last year, and unfortunately, it is terminal. We don’t know how much time he has left, although Yuki has been fighting it for a long time and is persevering. When the day comes that he starts showing symptoms, we’ll do what we always do, make the right decision so that he doesn’t suffer. Saying goodbye to our animals is very hard, and in his case will be no different.
And although many of these animals had hard beginnings, they always end up doing well in the sanctuary.
When their time with us is over, the last thing they do is leave room to rescue another animal and give it a good life.”
