Kota
Male High-Content Wolfdog
Zeebie
Kota joined the Big Pack in the Sky on April 7th, 2021.
He was assisted at 13 years old due to mobility/quality of life.

Kota was born in May of 2007, and arrived at Wild Spirit in October of 2010. Our handsome high-content wolfdog was easily the largest animal at Wild Spirit to date. When he stood on his hind legs, he was over six-feet tall. Unlike many of our residents, Kota was blessed with two caring owners, a young man, and his aunt. While the young man served overseas with the military, his aunt looked after Kota. Unfortunately, her health began to decline and she soon required hospice care. During this tough time, the young man’s mother arrived to care for Kota. With a young daughter and other obligations at home in Florida, she was not able to stay permanently. She called Kota’s breeder, who agreed to take him back temporarily but needed some help with transport. When she called Wild Spirit to help with transport, it was decided that it would be easiest for Kota to board with us instead of traveling so far from his home.

Sadly, Kota’s loving aunt passed away, and Kota’s future became uncertain. He was living happily at Wild Spirit with one of our older residents, Duchess. They got along well, respecting each other, unless it was meal time. That small problem was resolved fairly easily – Kota was placed in a sub-enclosure during breakfast so Duchess did not have to fight for her meal. When Duchess passed away, we learned of another high-content wolfdog named Agana in desperate need of rescue. It’s never easy to place strangers together, but we were thrilled to watch Kota and Agana get along immediately. Having a young, feisty friend was a wonderful thing for Kota, and Agana was thrilled to have a companion after years of solitude. When his original owner was finally able to take Kota home again, he made the difficult decision to let him remain at WSWS, so he could enjoy a happy, stable life with his new companion.

Kota was a sweet boy who has stolen the heart of many volunteers, staff, and visitors to our sanctuary. Our huge, stunning boy caused quite a buzz among staff and volunteers when he first arrived. We were all amazed at his size and striking good looks! Kota was good-natured but he could be a handful, and he requires an experienced caretaker. Those who worked with him needed to understand how to interact with him while keeping themselves safe and Kota comfortable. It was sometimes difficult to imagine Kota living in a home, and we were so glad he found a place at WSWS where he could truly be himself.

Zeebie

Personality

Kota was affectionate, playful, and sweet. However, he could be unpredictable at times, making him more challenging to care for at time.s When it came to food, Kota could be a bit too possessive, so we had to separate him and Agana during mealtime. His goofy personality and propensity to steal objects made him quite the character to work with.

Relationships

Kota lived with Duchess until her passing in 2014, after which we introduced him to Agana, a high-content wolfdog. The two hit it off immediately!

Likes & Dislikes

As much as Kota adored his companion, Agana, he enjoyed his alone time. He loved solo walks with his caretaker and his occasional trips to our One-Acre enrichment habitat, where he could “get away from it all” for a little while.

Kota never learned to share, and he hated having to compete with Agana for his caretaker’s attention. He also couldn’t stand seeing his caretaker walk by him holding a leash and choose someone else to take out for a walk instead of him!

Fun Facts

Kota once met a film crew from National Geographic while they were at Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary shooting an episode of America the Wild. When they entered his enclosure, Kota immediately stole their large fluffy microphone cover and ate the entire thing! Fortunately, he passed it without issue, and no one was harmed.

Share your Memories of Kota Below!

1 Comment

  1. Karen SCALISE

    My heart is still with him, as is my sisters’ and my sons is.

    Reply

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