In 2025 we received a call about a pair of wolfdogs, Gojira, and his companion, Gaia. They were originally owned by an exotic animal breeder in Tennessee–one with a reputation for selling animals to anyone that could afford them, regardless of experience or legality . . .

However, in 2024, the man was court-ordered to hand the business over to his wife, who placed Gojira and Gaia in the care of an employee for what was supposed to be a temporary amount of time. After a year of waiting for the wife to return for the wolfdogs, it became obvious she had no intention of taking them back.

With a child on the way, the employee who was fostering the wolfdog pair simply could not continue caring for them any longer, which is when Wild Spirit received the call to help. Luckily, we just had an enclosure free up at the sanctuary, allowing us to commit to taking them in.

The employee’s due date for her child was quickly approaching, leaving us little time to delay. Luckily, we had received an intake request for another animal nearby in North Carolina, and so we hit the road as soon as we could to pick up all three animals in one go!

It was a 30 hour drive one way, and our rescue van was out of comission, but we managed to adjust the vehicle we usually use for meat pickups to accommodate our crew and the incoming rescues. Though it was not the most ideal mode of transportation, it got the job done and brought everyone back in one piece.

Immediately after arrival, Gojira and Gaia quickly explored their new enclosure–a space larger than they have ever known to call their own! Unfortunately for poor Gaia, in the weeks leading up to her rescue she was discovered to have an allergy to something in her enclosure in Tennessee (believed to be the straw used as her bedding). The allergies were so severe that she began to experience hairloss, as well as red, itchy skin. We have since ensured that no straw is used in her habitat, and have treated her allergies with antihistamines.