Other Wolves

Abra:

Abra joined Wolfwood in August of 2016 as a very shy, skittish, 2 year-old wolf/dog. She came from Montana where her owner ran a grooming shop and kept Abra in a small kennel, never allowing her out. The owner would not give Abra adequate water because she would have to pee too much and the owner didn't want to be bothered taking Abra out.

Another couple in Utah had Abra's sister, who was loved and well cared for. When they learned that Abra's owner was going to put her down they went to Montana to get her. They hoped that she could be re-homed with her sister. It took weeks for Abra to come out of her small kennel because that was all she knew. After 6 months of effort, including Abra jumping off their ten-foot deck, they realized that she was not going to settle into city life.

These days, Abra is elusive, and difficult to get a good photo of! However, she has settled into life at Wolfwood well. One of her favorite past times is playing with her big ball. When she sees someone she's comfortable with she'll shake it back and forth viciously to establish that even though she's shy, she is still a bit of a badass.

Abra now lives with Axle.

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Albion is a Great Pyrenees mix dog. He joined the refuge in May 2020 at the young age of one year old from the La Plata Humane Society. The Humane Society has been a Wolfwood supporter for over 20 years and we work closely with them for the benefit of all animals.

Albion had been adopted out several times and lived in 4 homes in his short life but none worked out. The Humane Society didn't want to put Albion down so they asked us to take this big guy. We said yes.

He is safe and happy at the refuge now and lives with Paloma, a wolf dog. He takes guarding the top of the mountain very seriously, but also enjoys lounging the days away with his best friend.

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Tina and the folks at the animal shelter tried to catch him for several weeks, even buying a special net gun. He still evaded all attempts until Craig went down with our new dart gun and sedated him with the first shot. He was taken to the shelter and neutered. He was transported here and now lives with Danu. He is handsome, sweet and curious. He wants to be petted but is still shy.

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Axle:

Axle (formerly known as Koda) came to us from Utah. He lived with a loving couple who were having health issues and just could not handle his size and energy level. They wanted him to have companion animals to play with and a home outside to match his sled dog background, so they contacted WolfWood.  We had a few females that also could use a friend, so when we said we could make room for him, his family brought him to us. Leaving him was hard, but they truly wanted what was best for him.

He is a malamute who just barely qualifies as a wolf dog because his mom looked wolfy enough to be called one. When he first came to the refuge he was just about the most overweight animal we had ever seen. Because of this he was put on a strict diet and over the past two years has managed to get down to a size that is more reasonable than what he was. Axle is sweet and friendly with all volunteers. He is definitely enthusiastic, especially when it comes to food. He's a big baby and insists every day that we forgot to feed him the day before, even though it would be impossible to forget with him screaming at us for it.

Axle was lives with Abra, one of Wolfwood's shiest wolf-dogs.

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Bagheera:

We welcomed Bagheera who came to us from a couple in Bayfield. While they had success with wolf dogs in the past, Bagheera was not adapting to home life. She lost her male companion and seemed lonely and depressed. They brought her to WolfWood so she could be off a chain and be able to run and have a friend. She is a good singer and seems to already enjoy being here.

Bagheera is illusive but very curious. She has become comfortable enough with caretakers at the refuge to lie next to them when visiting in the pen and will take treats from hands. She is still nervous about larger crowds though. We paired her with Baloo a couple of months after she arrived at the refuge and they hit it off immediately. The pair love to run around the pen and play with each other.

She is so fun to watch run around her pen. She’s small, but graceful and runs with the classic wolf pop in her step.

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Baloo:

Baloo is a young, reserved wolf dog. He came from Minnesota where he was found as a stray and taken into an animal shelter. The shelter wanted to find a rescue for him since wolf dogs are not allowed in the area he was found in. A volunteer from the shelter drove Baloo across the country to meet up with Wolfwood volunteers in Denver, Colorado.

When he first arrived he was a very shy and shut down animal. His curiosity was there from the start though, and he always showed a willingness to engage with people, even if it was just from a distance. Baloo was paired with Bagheera once he had settled into the refuge enough. While he is still shy, he is now willing to let trusted people pet him.

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Calypso:

Calypso arrived at the Refuge in February of 2024. She is a beautiful, sweet 3 ½ yr old girl who came to us with a severely damaged leg. Her owner could not handle the surgery and aftercare she needed, so met Ben and Emily in Nebraska to bring her to the refuge. The day after she came, we took her to our amazing vet, Dr. Nannette Lockard-Wagner. It was determined that amputation was our only option. She has recovered well, and will now begin the process of growing her fur back and acclimating to her family at WolfWood. Ben has been taking excellent care of her, not always the easiest task, because while she is affectionate, she is also stubborn. So far her favorite person is Keith and she howls for him when he leaves!

Calypso will go in an exercise pen during the day, but she has to sleep in the hospital pen because of the risk of frostbite. Joel got her exercise pen ready and did all the reconfiguration needed in the hospital pen to give her the best chance at recovery. Elizabeth has been taking the time to document her journey, something our supporters have asked to see more of. We are always so busy actually taking care of the animals, we don’t usually remember to do “before and after” pictures. We will keep you updated on her progress.

A special thank you to Dr. Anna Bovitz of Osceola Veterinary Service for contacting us, taking good care of Calypso and prepping her for transport. Without her efforts, Calypso might have met a very different end.

If you would like to contribute to Calypso’s extensive veterinary bill. You can donate on our website https://www.wolfwoodrefuge.org/index.php?page=donation and mark it for her, or you can contact our vet directly at 970-264-2148.

-Paula

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Celeste:  
Celeste is a new animal at the Refuge. She came from a big rescue mission out of Minnesota. She is very friendly with people, but not such a fan of other canines at the moment. She is about 4 years old. Once she settles in, we will see if we can slowly introduce her to a friend. She is very athletic and active and loves to greet everyone who comes by.

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Danu is an incredibly active animal who came to us in 2018 from a couple who realized she was just too much for them to handle. She was 4 years old when she was surrendered. She is an athletic, beautiful, and brilliant animal who can escape from almost anything. She demonstrates her athleticism every time she “parkours” ¾ of the way up her ten-foot fence when a visitor approaches.

Danu can be shy with new people but is exuberant once she gets to know you. She will run laps when a beloved volunteer enters her pen (running her pen-mate Archie ragged in the process) and then will eventually sit next to them and receive loving for as long as she can keep herself still.

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Delta:

Delta is the trouble maker of the two, and perhaps too smart for her own good. She loves to try and take things she deems interesting, as most wolves do. With her human friends and caretakersshe is extremely physical. She will give wolf rubs and give big toothy open mouth kisses. She is holding onto some of her puppy behavior longer than normal because of her lack of canine parental figure. She will suckle on fingers, and nibble on chins. Her transformation has been stunning. She went from being mostly hairless with weak twisted front legs, to looking like a mini adult wolf over the course of a few months. Her colors are striking.

Dembe(all black) and Delta(tan & black mix) came to us from Tennessee. When they arrived, they were very malnourished and underdeveloped. We thought it would take months to get them fully healthy, but they surprised everyone by only taking a couple of weeks to become happy healthy puppies. 

From the start the pair has been a rambunctious trouble-making duo. Their first couple of weeks they lived in Paula’s living room and on her porch to keep them isolated from potential diseases while they grew and became stronger. In that time they managed to eat a small hole through her deck, destroy a metal stool, and chew up the trim around her door. Even at only a couple months of age they were demonstrating why wolves don’t make good pets!

As soon as they had enough vaccines and were a bit bigger, they were moved to a small enclosure near Paula’s house so they could continue to receive constant socialization. They had a giant rock to climb, and a pool to play in. They loved it. Their favorite activity was and still is to tear around their pen and jump in and out of their pool.

As wolf puppies without a real canine parental figure, they are less sure of themselves with new people and situations. But we are hoping we will be able to make them into ambassador animals. As long as they have one of their trusted people with them, they are happy to greet visitors on tours. Dembe is the braver of the two when meeting new people, but both can be skittish. They favor women over men for the most part, but do come around to men with patience and lots of treats.

The puppies are at a critical time in their life where they are figuring out what is dangerous and what is not. Anything new is scary, so we have been working with them to get used to the things we don’t want them do deem scary. An example of this is walking on a leash. If we want them to be ambassadors, they are going to have to be comfortable with walking outside of their enclosure. They will also have to be used to as many people as possible. So if you come on a tour at Wolfwood, you will play a vital role in getting them socialized!

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Dembe:

Dembe is affectionate, and since he has a little more dog in him than Delta, he listens better. At six months old and already close to 60 pound, he is going to be a big boy! He thinks he is a lap wolfdog, and most of us wouldn’t have it any other way. He is a big snuggle bug!

Dembe(all black) and Delta(tan & black mix) came to us from Tennessee. When they arrived, they were very malnourished and underdeveloped. We thought it would take months to get them fully healthy, but they surprised everyone by only taking a couple of weeks to become happy healthy puppies. 

From the start the pair has been a rambunctious trouble-making duo. Their first couple of weeks they lived in Paula’s living room and on her porch to keep them isolated from potential diseases while they grew and became stronger. In that time they managed to eat a small hole through her deck, destroy a metal stool, and chew up the trim around her door. Even at only a couple months of age they were demonstrating why wolves don’t make good pets!

As soon as they had enough vaccines and were a bit bigger, they were moved to a small enclosure near Paula’s house so they could continue to receive constant socialization. They had a giant rock to climb, and a pool to play in. They loved it. Their favorite activity was and still is to tear around their pen and jump in and out of their pool.

As wolf puppies without a real canine parental figure, they are less sure of themselves with new people and situations. But we are hoping we will be able to make them into ambassador animals. As long as they have one of their trusted people with them, they are happy to greet visitors on tours. Dembe is the braver of the two when meeting new people, but both can be skittish. They favor women over men for the most part, but do come around to men with patience and lots of treats.

The puppies are at a critical time in their life where they are figuring out what is dangerous and what is not. Anything new is scary, so we have been working with them to get used to the things we don’t want them do deem scary. An example of this is walking on a leash. If we want them to be ambassadors, they are going to have to be comfortable with walking outside of their enclosure. They will also have to be used to as many people as possible. So if you come on a tour at Wolfwood, you will play a vital role in getting them socialized!

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Destiny lived with Odin until he needed surgery and required peace and quiet to recover.  She then livesdwith Sam until he passed away. She currently lives alone.

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Elu:
Elu is a shy girl who came to use from Oklahoma. She was in a foster situation that was not the best for her. They had been wanting her to come to WolfWood for sometime and we were finally able to take her.

She is slow to warm up to people, but when she does she loves petting and kisses. We are sure she will love her forever home here in the mountains and outside space of Colorado. We have put her in with Xena, the two girls have become good friends.

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Etta:
WolfWood welcomes another new member, the very sweet Etta. Etta came to us from a private party in Durango. They took good care of her but just could not keep her. She's energetic and a little shy. She already seems to be fitting in here at WolfWood!

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Gideon:

In 2018, Wolfwood got Gideon, a Great Pyrenees Anatolian Shepherd cross to be the new guard dog. Gideon came to Wolfwood as a 10 week-old puppy. If you haven’t been on a tour of Wolfwood it might sound odd to have a guard dog for wolves, so let me give some back story. Before Gideon, there was Kohl. Kohl was an Anatolian Shepherd Lab mix who originally came to the refuge to be a companion animal for a grieving wolf. Over the years he proved he had a vital role to play.

Wolves do no generalize well, and anything new is considered potentially dangerous. Contrary to what myths will have you believe, wolves are averse to facing danger and will run high and far away at first sign of it. If someone unwelcome shows up to the refuge, the wolves aren’t going to tell anyone. They’re going to save their own tails and keep as quiet as possible. Kohl was able to alert Paula to anyone she didn’t want there. He had a different bark for volunteers, tours, and strangers. The wolves were able to use Kohl’s reaction to determine if they were safe or not. He gave the refuge a lot of ease. When he passed away people started coming onto the property without Paula knowing. We needed the old sense of security back. Enter Gideon. He was donated by the owners of Cane Run Creek in Kentucky to be the Refuge's new guard dog after the loss of Kohl.

In his first few months at the Refuge, Gideon lived with Sheba, who provided maternal care and wolfie discipline, until her passing in July 2018. Once she passed away Gideon was introduced to Sheba’s first foster child—Jinn.

Maybe it was their upbringing by the same animal that made them such a good pair, or maybe their opposite personalities just really worked in this instance. Either way, they have been smitten with each other ever since.

Gideon has struggled to fill the enormous paws Kohl left behind, but he is improving as a guard dog. He at least barks at people he doesn’t know when they are leaving the refuge, and he alerts Paula to any bear that decides to come and raid our freezers. Jinn still runs the pen, and Gideon prefers to lounge the days away.

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Grace came to us from the Aztec Shelter in November 2016 as a weeks old pup. She had most likely been thrown from a car. She had no front teeth; her leg was hurt and deformed; she had mange and was badly malnourished. The shelter did not have the resources to help her. Paula brought her to the Refuge and named her Grace.

Grace was in a cast for a long time and was on medications for mange and parasites. Her adult teeth came in and she gained weight. Against all odds, Grace has grown into a healthy beautiful animal.

Grace is now part of the 3-amigo pack with Chai and Wile E.  In a single enclosure you have a dog (Chai), a coyote (Wile E), and a wolfdog (Grace).  What a collection it is.

(Click HERE to see what Grace looked like when she arrived at the Refuge.)

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Guinness:

Guinness is Harlow's brother. He was brought to Wolfwood on the night of a big storm that washed out our road in 2021. When he was a puppy we had the local shelter adopt him out since he was just a dog. Harlow was going to be kept as a companion animal, but we didn't need to keep all of the puppies. Guinness was adopted and returned a few months later. Instead of making him go through the adoption process again, Wolwood took him back. He now lives with Harlow and the two were very happy to be reunited. He is a very sweet animal and the calmer of the two. 

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Gypsy:

Gypsy came to Wolfwood from the Pagosa Humane Society in 2022. She had been at the shelter for months and was not thriving. Wolfwood took her in as a favor to the shelter. For the first few months Gypsy was here, she was incredibly shy and nervous. She wouldn’t let anyone pet her once she was put in a larger pen. She proved though that all she needed was time. After being taken on her first vet visit after coming to the refuge she decided that certain people were okay. The people who worked with her when she first came to the refuge and stayed in a hospital pen for socialization are now able to pet her consistently.

She is an extremely goofy and playful girl. She likes to charge at the fence and play bow with her hackles raised when people she knows walk by. She’s acting tough, but really wants to play. She is still extremely selective about who she allows to pet her, but she is slowly coming out of her shell.

Gypsy lives with Etta and they are best friends.

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Harlow came to us from Cortez and makes an excellent companion animal for Aretha. She arrived the night of a huge storm that washed out part of the road to WolfWood. Harlow is sweet, playful and quite the water dog, enjoying her pool in season. She is practicing for co-guard dog duty with Gideon.

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Henna came to the Refuge in September 2016, three months shy of her 2nd birthday. She was a court ordered release from the Canon City, CO area where she ran loose and killed neighbors' chickens.  Brian picked Henna up and drove her to the Refuge where she has started a new life in a safe and secure environment.

Henna is very affectionate and loves to be petted, especially by children. In the summer of 2023 Henna’s penmate Siren passed away. Now Henna is patiently waiting for a new friend. We will put her with someone as soon as we find a good fit for her.

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Jinn:

Jinn came to Wolfwood at the end of January of 2015 as a 14-week-old wolfdog pup. Her original owner bought her on the Internet and then realized that wasn't a good idea. She was well taken care of, but her owner soon discovered that she was not a house pet.

When Jinn first came to the refuge, she was one of the most energetic and wild animals we had. To counter Jinn’s abundant energy, she was put with Sheba, a wolfdog everyone started calling Saint Sheba for her endless patience and devotion to Jinn.

After Sheba passed in 2018, Jinn moved in with Gideon and is now one of the first animals people see at the Refuge. She is not quite as bouncy as she was when she was young, but still has a lot of energy to go around. She is extremely affectionate and loves her partner Gideon. Lennette is her favorite person on the planet.

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Mica is a large wolfdog who joined the pack in October of 2014.  We believe he was less than 1 year-old upon arrival.  Mica came from the local shelter and was very thin when we met him.  He was taken to the vet and checked out.  He was healthy, but hungry.

He has a very sweet personality and loves everyone.  Mica has grown into one of the largest and strongest animals at the Refuge.  He is a bundle of power and energy that can easily knock over an inattentive volunteer.

Mica is a big forever puppy, and because of his big friendly nature we had hoped early on that he could make a good ambassador animal, but unfortunately Mica just gets way too excited about people. Like any good wolf, Mica wants to get to every visitors face to give them a big greeting kiss, and he's not above jumping up on them to get it. Being over a hundred pounds, this can be problematic for when interacting with the general public. Not everyone wants a 100+ pound wolfdog coming at their face, regardless of how friendly the intention is. This is really the biggest struggle all of our ambassadors’ face when learning how to interact with people. Even at nine years old, Mica has not outgrown this puppy energy. He's a challenging animal for even some of the most experienced volunteers, but we love him anyway. And now he's starting to get the treat of interacting with tours through the fence!

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Nina(black) and Torin(tan):

Nina and Torin came from North Carolina. They were part of a pack of wolfdogs that were running loose. After finally being captured Nina and Torin spent 6 months in a shelter while the staff desperately tried to find them a safe place to live. They were not candidates for a home adoption situation. 

Keith and Elizabeth agreed to pick them up with the WolfWood trailer. The staff started the process of getting them cleared to go. All in all it was a big investment in time and resources, but these two young animals were so worth it. They now have a forever home here, together at last. 

Nina and Torin are siblings and just turned one. Torin is becoming very social and is interacting well with several volunteers. Nina is still shy and does not want to be touched, yet you can tell she is so happy to have space to run and be with her brother.  We are in the process of building up their muscles, fur coat and confidence.

We are grateful to have them as part of the WolfWood “pack” and appreciate the support from NC . They are doing well.

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Nyx:
Nyx was born in 2015 and came to the Refuge from Aztec, NM when she was just under 1 year old during April of 2016.  She had been in 3 homes in less than a year. Since Nyx is a wolf/dog, she didn't act like a dog and her owners couldn't handle her.

Finally, the same person who introduced us to Archie took her in and contacted Wolfwood. Due to Nyx's escape abilities she had to be kept inside prior to coming to the Refuge and she became incredibly introverted. She would cower in corners and had to be carried out to go to the bathroom.

Nyx spent a couple of weeks in the hospital pen at Wolfwood and her behavior continued. However, for her first birthday present (she turned 1 on April 20th) she was given a new pen and a new neighbor, Razi. The change was instantaneous. All of a sudden, Nyx wasn't so shy. She spent time investigating her enclosure and sniffed the leftover scents of the former residents.  Nyx then went over and met Razi at the fence. There was no fence fighting or growling. Razi, confident as ever, said hello and Nyx responded.

Nyx is named after the Greek goddess of the night.

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Paloma is a female given name, derived from Latin "palumbus" which means Dove; a symbol of Peace.

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Ramsey:

Ramsey came from Oklahoma. He is a large, strong male who is in his prime at 5 yrs old.  He came from a private home even though he is essemtially pure wolf. He is very social and really loves people. We want to make him an ambassador, IF we can stop him from jumping. Kisses from the top of the dog house help.

Ramsey was picked up on the same trip as Torin and Nina from North Carolina. They all came home together. Ramsey now shares a large enclosure with Shadow. He is a volunteer favorite.

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Sage:
Sage is a young high percentage male. He came from a private party in Silverton. Sage has quickly become a volunteer favorite with his boyish enthusiasm and sweet personality. He is already living with Ginger, who refuses to recognize the 11 year age difference and keeps up with him. They make a great pairing and we are so happy to have this possible ambassador as part of the WolfWood pack.

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Samoa  is very skittish as she needed to be kept inside a trailer previously. She needs some time to adjust to her new life where she has space to move.  She lives with Akula

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Strider:

There's another new boy at the refuge! Meet Strider, a 10ish month old shepherd mix . He was on the run for a while around the airport before he was finally trapped and taken to the La Plata County Humane Society. Strider is a very shy feral dog, and he would not have been able to be rehabilitated by the shelter. Wolfwood decided to take Strider in as a favor to the shelter. So while he did not come from Wolfwood like some people feared when he showed up on the local lost and found page, it turns out Wolfwood was where he needed to be. 

Strider would likely never adapt to being someone's pet, but at the refuge he'll have a safe place to exist as he is. We'll work on socializing him so that he no longer is fearful when we're around. Once he's neutered he'll get a large pen to run in and a friend to play with.

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Tala: Out of the ashes, healing.

Wolves and other canines mourn the loss of their loved ones. Tala who recently lost her brother Ra is now getting more one on one time with volunteers then she ever has (Ra in all his glory was a bit of a jelly bug) and it is healing for both human and canine.

Tala and her brother Ra came from an illegal breeder in Alaska. They were both in very poor health when they arrived. The breeder had taken them away from their mother at a very young age because he believed the myth that in doing so, they would bond with humans instead. They were chained and fed a horrible diet. Tala, due to her malnourishment, was very small.

Tala's first night with Wolfwood was almost her last. She started running a fever and was quickly rushed to the vet. She had an upper respiratory infection and was severely dehydrated. She was admitted and put on an IV of antibiotics and fluids to rehydrate her little body. The vet wasn't sure she would pull through.

To everyone's delight, pull through she did. Tala was the playful pup who just wanted to roughhouse.

Plans were made to build what would be Wolfwood's largest enclosure (at that time). When it was finished, watching this sister and brother be able to run and play was pure joy.

Tala is one of our oldest full wolves at the refuge. When she first came to us she was a sickly 12 week old puppy and almost died. Paula and Wolfwood's vet worked hard to get her healthy and against all odds she made it. Her growth was stunted due to whatever illness she came to the refuge with, so she is small for a wolf.

Tala has been able to make more friends than she had been able to before. She enjoys getting pet by volunteers on feeding days. Despite her age, she is still one of the more physical animals we have and will give wolf rubs, and try to steal whatever she deems interesting off your person.

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Tuli:

Tuli is a 2 year old shy little girl who came to us from a private party. Tuli is an escape artist who kept getting out. She needed a safe place to be and her owner wanted what was best for her. She is hesitant with strangers but if we go slow she will already allow us to pet her. After her spay she will get a bigger pen and a friend.

Valkyrie is one of Wolfwood's shier animals, but she is not without character! She loves her treats and will spin and jump excitedly as you walk toward her fence with one. For her favorite people, she will take snacks directly from their hand inside of the enclosure. She has been known to give wolf-rubs, but prefers to be the one doing the touching. She is a very clever girl and loves her elderly next door neighbors.

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Wile E. is a coyote who was found abandoned and alone June of 2016.  He had only been born a couple of months before that.  After talking to Dr. Wagner and different wildlife rehab places it was determined that he could not possibly be put back in the wild. So Wile E began his journey to adjust to refuge life.

Wile E. initially had to be kept quarantined because he had no immunity to viruses like Parvo or Distemper. He also had to get special vaccines and, at first, be fed a milk replacement.

Wile E. is part of the Refuge's educational program where the differences between various canines (wolves, dogs and coyotes) are explained.

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Some moments are too precious not to share.
Xena and a new friend at the Durango Farmers market

Adored by volunterrs and visitors alike. Since Xena has been with WolfWood she has grown into a fan favorite at events as well. She just LOVES people.

Xena came from Tulsa, OK in May of 2019. At the time she was 1-1/2 years old. She had been found running loose and was placed in a foster home.  But, wolfdogs were illegal where she was staying and Wolfwood was contacted to see if we had a place for her.

Arrangements were made and volunteers drove to Tulsa to get her. She is a big, bouncy girl who loves people. She has already been out at events and has grown into a premier ambassador for WolfWood.

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