Saint was born in August of 2007, and arrived at Wild Spirit in December of 2010. Our stoic Saint was one of five siblings who was taken to a shelter in Louisiana when she was only 7-weeks-old. They were suspected to be wolfdogs, but due to the unreliability of genetic tests in 2007, it couldn’t be confirmed if they were or not. Because of this, it was almost impossible to adopt them out. Saint and his sisters Azteca, Juno, Goldie, and Katrina were all placed together in a 10 x 10-foot cage with a concrete floor and became completely unsocialized.

While at the shelter, someone would occasionally try to adopt one of the dogs, but they were always returned. The shelter called Wild Spirit in August of 2009. One of our staff members was on vacation in the area so she stopped by to see them. They were kept clean and fed but had spent two years together in that awful 10 x 10 cage, which caused permanent damage to their knees. Despite our uncertainty of their content level, we couldn’t stand to see them spend the rest of their lives there, and made arrangements to accept them at Wild Spirit. They soon became known as our NOLA Pack, in reference to their origins in New Orleans.

The Nola’s were very sweet rescues, who eventually came out of their shells to show us all the love they could offer. Their rough upbringing resulted in multiple health issues over the years that required intensive care, including knee surgeries for Saint, Azteca, Katrina, and 14 weeks of physical therapy after each surgery. In spite of this, they each lived fulfilling lives, well into their senior years. Each one had a special place in our hearts, and will never be forgotten.