You can see her on the Tour Path!
On January 13th, 2025, Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary received more intake requests than we typically do in a YEAR… Over 400 wolves, wolfdogs, coyotes, red foxes, skunks, raccoons, and more had been left behind at an Ashtabula, Ohio fur- and urine-collection farm following the death of their owner. We were called in to assist in placing as many canines as possible, but with a timeline of just two weeks to save them…
Because these animals were there for the collection of their urine and fur, the conditions they lived in were horrific, but they were never meant to leave them alive. What’s worse, many were already deceased upon arrival, and approximately 80 more had to be euthanized due to the neglect they had endured. But we came to get them out.
We made the trip to Ohio not once, but twice, to aid the organizations spearheading this mission in moving animals off-site. As this all occurred during the coldest part of the year, it was paramount to remove animals from their unsuitable conditions to prevent them from continued suffering.
On the first trip, Wild Spirit selected eight animals to spend the rest of their lives in our care. Among these were seven wolfdogs (Kirara, Niohuru, Jethro, Korah, Princess Poppy, Eevee, and Aurora) and one coydog (Captain).
After dropping off our new rescues in New Mexico, the team immediately turned back around for a second trip to Ohio, where we assisted in catching up fifteen more wolfdogs before transporting them to WolfWood Refuge in Colorado.
Naturally, Wild Spirit wasn’t the only organization contributing to this mission, and thanks to the quick response of so many, over 3/4 of the animals were able to be saved!
Each of Wild Spirit’s new rescues have begun settling in at their own pace, and despite the horrors they endured, they’ve proven to be remarkably comfortable around their new human Caretakers. We hope that in time they’ll learn to trust us more fully, and allow us to show them how good life can actually be.
This was undoubtedly one of the most taxing rescues we have ever been a part of, but knowing approximately 350 animals were saved in less than 3 weeks makes it one of the most rewarding.
Aurora is one of the lucky critters from Ohio that was housed with a companion, her sister, Eevee. The two are nearly inseparable, though Eevee is by far the more confident sister. However, Aurora came out of her shell the instant we introduced another Ohio rescue, Princess Poppy, to the sisters. The three instantly became best friends, bursting into play without a moment’s notice. Now, they are lovingly referred to as our “Princess Pack”: Princess Poppy is named after a character in the Trolls movie, Aurora is the name of Sleeping Beauty and Eevee . . . is named after the Pokemon, but there is Princess Evie (the daughter of the Evil Queen from Snow White) which we are counting!
Aurora was named by the winner of our online auction who won the right to name one of our new rescues. They chose to name her after the singer, Aurora Aksnes, as well as aurora borealis (northern lights), which have many myths surrounding them, such as stories about spirits, animals and the circle of life.
This story has likely conjured a number of questions regarding the fur- and urine-collection industry, so we will be writing an article to provide more information about these practices in general, and to provide more information about this one specifically.
