Nikki joined the Big Pack in the Sky in July of 2020.

He passed at 17 years old from natural, age-related causes.

Nikki was born in April of 2003, and certainly arrived at Wild Spirit in 2006. He was originally adopted by a woman named Cecilia when he was a few months old. He was loved and well-cared for, and Cecilia’s family was able to develop quite a bond with Nikki with many adjustments to their daily lives.

Cecilia would only enter the enclosure if she was wearing the same clothing each time. If she wore anything else, Nikki would tear it off of her. Cecilia’s sixteen-year-old son was Nikki’s favorite playmate, and they would play very rough, though Nikki never hurt him. Nikki had some odd behaviors, but the family was managing to care for him.

Unfortunately, his owner had to move unexpectedly, and needed to find a temporary place for Nikki. The only place they could arrange for the young high-content wolfdog was in the backyard of another family. Nikki’s original owner was unable to find a new place where she could properly care for him, and so she called Wild Spirit. At first, we lacked the available space to house Nikki, but due to her patience and persistence, we agreed to take him when an enclosure was available. Sure enough, the time came that we were looking for a companion for a female wolfdog, Maki. Cecilia, her son, and two daughters drove him to the Sanctuary from El Paso, Texas.

Nikki proved to be a wild spirit from the moment he arrived, but in time he came to accept this as his home. He was a very particular fellow, who liked things on his own terms and in his own time. Maki turned out to be the perfect companion for him, possessing the patience to make their relationship work.