Contessa joined the Big Pack in the Sky on February 5th, 2016.

She was assisted at 15 years old following a stroke.

Contessa was born in May of 2000, and arrived at Wild Spirit in August of 2008. Her owner originally purchased her from “Wolf Country U.S.A.” in Alaska when she was only 5 weeks old. Wolf Country U.S.A has since shut down, due to Alaska having a zero tolerance policy on owning and selling wolfdogs.

Contessa lived in Boston for the first 8 years of her life, receiving excellent care and socialization. While her owner still loved Contessa very much, his new lifestyle involved spending half the year in Asia, leaving Contessa to be boarded in a small kennel much of the time.

In hopes of giving Contessa a better life, he reached out to Wild Spirit in hopes she could find a new, equally loving home. When we responded, excited to welcome her to the sanctuary, her owner was so appreciative that he offered a large donation to help with the purchase of the sanctuary’s land. Immediately, we set off to pick Contessa up at her home in Boston.

After a 42 hour drive back, Contessa was introduced to Axel, who had recently lost his previous companion, Princess. We quickly discovered that Contessa had a rambuctious side that required a more tolerant companion, so she moved in with an older male named Doc. The two made for a happy pair, until Doc’s tragic passing.

Contessa moved in with a third companion in her short stay at Wild Spirit, this time with a fellow named Zoerro. Unfortunately, he was less forgiving of her shenanigans than Doc; one spat later, the two were separated, and Contessa was solo again. It was only when a gentle soul named Navar came to the sanctuary that Contessa finally met her match.

Despite Contessa’s troubled history with her fellow canines, her relationships with Caretakers only blossomed! She was an extraordinarily social wolfdog, with a needy and pampered personality that earned her the moniker “The Countess”.