You may have noticed that many of our rescues are renamed upon their arrival at the sanctuary. This is because many times the animals are not attached to them, or they could even have a negative association with those names depending on the circumstances of their previous home. This allows us to get creative, and name many of our critters after our favorite media, characters and anything we enjoy! That was certainly the case with our handsome Lazar Wolf, who was lovingly named by a former staff member, Danielle. As an avid fan of musicals, Danielle decided to name him after a character in Fiddler on the Roof.

Lazar came to us from a private owner in Ohio who was going through a divorce and, as a result, was in need of placement for his 10-year-old mid-content wolfdog. At the time of this request, July of 2022, we were at max capacity with over 60 rescues in our care and didn’t have room for any new intakes.

However, about two months later, we ended up losing one of our senior rescues, Azteca, leaving behind the last of her siblings, 15-year-old Juno, who we knew would probably love a new companion after losing her sister.

With our next “perfect match” in mind, we made the trip from New Mexico to Ohio, where we were introduced to an incredibly sweet old man named Lazar Wolf (Lazar for short, named after a character from Fiddler on the Roof). We knew in an instant he would be the perfect fit for Juno.

Once Juno passed, Lazar was in need of a new companion. We knew finding him a new match would be a challenge, because Lazar struggled with “Pannus”, which is an immune-mediated condition that impacts the cornea of the eye. This left Lazar clinically blind prior to his arrival at the sanctuary, and though his condition was improved by oral medication and eye drops, it was clear he was still in pain and discomfort. As such, with advice from our vet, we made the decision to remove both eyes to alleviate further pain following recovery.

Though Lazar is a kind boy, we knew we needed to find an equally kind companion who would be patient and forgiving with him. Luckily, in early summer 2023, we rescued Amren as part of the Pennsylvania Six, who was exactly what Lazar needed! The two have been wonderful companions ever since, and she has even been more than accommodating to Lazar’s lack of vision.

Lazar and Amren are two peas in a pod, often doing most things together throughout their day. The only thing the two do separately is eat, because Lazar’s voracious appetite simply will not allow Amren to have any of her meal. Thankfully, we can easily shift Lazar so that both animals can enjoy their meal, but even that is too much apart for these wonderful companions–the two are known for exchanging an adorable greeting of licks and snuggles the moment they are reunited!

If you want to support Lazar and Amren, you can do so by clicking here! They would thank you if they could, but just in case, we sincerely appreciate you on their behalf.