He is NOT on the Tour Path.
In May of 2025, a citizen in Michigan came across something interesting one night . . . a 4-week old puppy tied to their front porch!
They mistakeningly believed the pup–who we eventually named Merlin–to be a fox kit or coyote puppy, and reached out to a licensed wildlife rehabber in the area for assistance. However, when the rehabber saw Merlin in person, she knew he was likely a wolfdog puppy, and posted his photo online to confirm her suspicions.
When word reached Wild Spirit, we immediately recognized Merlin for what he was: a high-content wolfdog! To make matters more complicated, the rehaber lived in a place where owning a wolfdog was illegal without a license, so we reached out to offer our support in finding him a home.
To do her due diligence, the rehabber decided to Embark DNA test Merlin before making any decisions and learn more about his ancestry. Several weeks later, her fears were confirmed, and she knew that despite all the time, effort, and love she and her family had poured into this sweet baby, he would need to find a home that could legally keep him.
Merlin is currently in a stage of development called the “Period of Rapid Growth,” where he’s expected to gain approximately 1.3 lbs. per WEEK over the next several months! At already ~45 lbs. already, we expect him to be quite large by the time he’s done growing!
To set up our rescues for success, we ensure that animals under the age of 6 months remain indoors under human care, until they eventually make their way out into an enclosure with a companion full-time. This means many sleepless nights for the the Wild Spirit crew, as we sleepover in our Communal building every night to keep Merlin company and care for him.
