Cove joined the Big Pack in the Sky on October 21st, 2014.

She passed at 15 years old due to gastric torsion (bloat).

Cove was born on March 29th, 1999, and arrived at Wild Spirit in January of 2001. She was originally a privately owned pet; her owner, Matthew, had once dreamed of a wolf standing on a cliff overlooking the sea. He tried to make that dream come true by buying a wolf — an impulsive buy without thinking of the animal’s needs.

While he tried to keep Cove, she proved to be a handful! He was having difficulty training her, she was not easy socialized, and escaped over 10-foot-tall fences. She also had no companion animal, which compounded all the other problems.

Realizing his mistake, Matthew initially took Cove back to the breeder. He felt they could find her a more suitable home that would provide her with the things he could not. However, when he went back to check on her, Cove was badly injured and missing most of her tail. The breeder claimed that Cove and two other animals tunnelled out of the pen and disappeared into the wilderness for two weeks, though there has been speculation that Cove’s tail was instead cropped and sold.

No longer comfortable with leaving Cove in the breeder’s hands, Matthew took her home again to act as a foster until he could find her somewhere safe to live. Eventually, he discovered Wild Spirit online and reached out for assistance. Hearing Cove’s story, we ensured we had the resources to care for her, and then gladly offered her sanctuary.

Cove was a particularly devastating loss for the Wild Spirit team. Gastric torsion can strike at any time, and with our location being so far from civilization, it is a battle just to get an animal to a vet in time to save their lives. Thankfully, Cove made it to emergency to undergo the procedure, but even then as a non-profit and non-government funded organization, the cost can be overwhelming. We were blessed to have so many wonderful supporters who donated to help try to save Cove’s life. Sadly, the chance of success was only 50/50, and Cove passed during her surgery.

With so many hurdles in the way of saving an animal’s life, it almost feels like a false-sense of security to clear each one. Especially when the final trial is the one that could not be overcome. Despite that, we will never stop doing everything in our power to provide necessary vet care to the rescues who call Wild Spirit home. It is our mission, our purpose and our calling to offer these animal’s sanctuary, and care for them through thick and thin.