You can see her on the Tour Path!
In October of 2023, Wild Spirit received word of a situation involving 15 wolfdogs in need of placement in central Minnesota. These animals–along with over 80 others–were once privately-owned by a licensed individual, though he was later forced to re-home them due to issues with local zoning ordinances, and concerns about the animals’ welfare.
Fortunately, by the time we were contacted about this situation most of the animals had already been relinquished to licensed facilities; this included 3 of the 15 wolfdogs. Unfortunately, that left 12 canines (eight adults and four juveniles) still in need of urgent placement, and with less than a week to find their new forever homes.
Right away, we knew we could reasonably commit to the four 8-month-old puppies, which included two males (Dorian and Iroh) and two females (Zephyr and Hela). In addition, with three bachelor males at the sanctuary, we were prepared to take 1-2 adult females (Larka and Haiku) as well, assuming they seemed like promising matches for our boys.
And so, after several conversations with the folks working to coordinate this massive rescue effort, our team hit the road for Minnesota. Along the way, a true miracle occurred and we were able to line up placement for the 6 animals we were unable to take due to spatial limitations, meaning every single animal would be saved!
Immediately upon arrival at our destination–before we had even left our vehicle–we were floored to discover that one of the 8-month-old pups was running loose around the property, forcing us to abandon our original plan in order to get him contained! Thankfully, the pup didn’t seem too distressed about the presence of strangers, which allowed us to dart him using our blow-dart gun. Unfortunately, the drugs didn’t take effect, resulting in the need for a backup plan.
With the help of one of the owners, as well as a close family friend that had helped care for the pups since birth, the animal was able to be led into a small fenced-in section of the property where we were able to corner and then sedate him for his necessary vet care. This animal would come to be called Dorian.
After Dorian was seen by the vet, loaded into the rescue van, and reversed from sedation, we moved on to his siblings, Hela, Zephyr, and Iroh, and finally the two adult females, Larka and Haiku.
Despite the overall welfare concerns that existed for these animals, which included being underweight and the presence of fleas and intestinal parasites, we were pleased to learn they were all heartworm negative and free of any tick-borne diseases.
Since arriving at Wild Spirit, the Minnesota Six have begun settling in at their own individual paces, and we can’t wait to see how each of them grows under our care! In addition, the 6 wolfdogs we left behind all found their forever homes at USDA licensed facilities in Ohio, Colorado, and Nevada thanks to our collaborative efforts!
A huge thank you to the families that hosted us along the way on this journey, and to every other animal care professional that made this rescue mission a success!
