Strength, the sharp instincts, the incredible intelligence along with the social abilities to live in a pack are some of the major qualities that make Wolves as one of the most elegant and respected animals across the globe. For centuries, this enigmatic animal has been featured in books and now in these modern times in movies as well as other forms of culture. All of these art forms only add to our sense of appreciation towards these majestic animals.
All of these enigmatic qualities make people prone to taking some of this wildness into their homes. To make the best of both worlds, people came up with a new breed of dogs called “Wolf dogs”. In basic definition, wolfdog is a hybrid of a cross breed between a wolf and abnormal domestic dog as both of them are the members of same species; Canis.
As for the wolfdog we are introducing today, its story is not only heartbreaking but the origin of Yuki; the wolfdog is also of a rare genetic makeup. One staff member of the organization “Shy Wolf Sanctuary Brittany” named Allen told media, “Yuki’s DNA is comprised of 87.5 percent to be of Gray Wolf while 3.9 percent to be of Siberian Husky and 3.9 percent to be of a German Sheppard.”
The picture above shows Yuki to be standing as a giant and being intimating but still storming over the internet. The girl in the photo above is named Brittany Allen who herself is 5 feet 4 inches. She says that Yuki is not that much big as he appears in photos and he only weighs about 120 pounds. She also responded to accusations of people reading the above image to be photoshopped in a hilarious manner. She posted the photo with the caption, “the face we make when people say Yuki’s picture is Photoshopped… It’s just his fat angle guys. We all have one.”
This photo has actually been a great help in both sharing the heartbreaking story of Yuki along with raising awareness among people about the wolfdog who got a second chance at life after he was rescued by the sanctuary.
Allen told media, “We rescued Yuki from a failed house pet condition. Somebody purchased him from a breeder but they soon realized that he was too much to handle. Soon they got irritated of him and decided to dump him at some kill shelter after only he was 8 months old. We arrived just in time to save him and provided him with a home.”
One of the many directors of the “Shy Wolf Sanctuary” told media, “We adopted Yuki back in 2008. When he came to us he was in a lot better health when compared to all the other lots of animals we get. His personality was at first the main issue for us. At one point, due to his outgoing behavior, we were thinking about ambassadorship for him. Shortly after arriving here, Yuki got his leg stuck on a palmetto that resulted in a wound on the rear side of the knee of his right leg. The wound was treated only after 5 surgeries. During the treatment, Yuki became cage aggressive.”
Later in 2012, volunteers of the Shy Wolf Sanctuary shared some pictures of Yuki from his new home. The first impression of these volunteers after seeing him was, “Yuki now loves women, he shows off to visitors and is always trying to be super goofy.”
One volunteer at the Shy Wolf Sanctuary named Judy, who also happened to gain Yuki’s trust told media, “Yuki is one of those few animals who let their handlers know if they want you in their enclosure or not. He only lets a very small amount of women inside his enclosure and that is referred to as his ‘harem’.”
Shy Wolf Sanctuary Education and Experience Center (SWS) which was founded by Nancy Smith back in 2001 is an organization that is working to provide sanctuary as well as rehabilitation for not only the wild and captive bred wolves but also of other exotic animals. The sanctuary is actually located in Naples, Florida on 2.5 acres of land. This property is actually a home to nearly 60 captive bred or exotic animals that were rescued over the years.
The motto of this sanctuary is to reconnect people with animals through education and actions. This is the reason that the staff of 30 people not only works year-round for helping these rescued or captive animals but also to educate the public about how to protect the animals and themselves.
Due to Wolfdog being not able to be adoptable by the domestic animal services, their only hopes to find a forever home is through Shy Wolf Sanctuary.
Brittany said to media, “they are the creatures that demand respect for themselves. The animals I work with have never actually been to wild so they are more socialized. In the wild that would have been a different story.”
Wolves normally shy away from humans by nature but considering the wolfdogs who are mix of both species, their behavior patterns are unpredictable. This is the reason, if a person wants to adopt or bring them up, they must be aware of the unique challenges with this special breed. This is especially true for the cases of purchasing a puppy as a person never knows how much of a wolf is in this little puppy.
Another volunteer at the Shy Wolf Sanctuary named Jeremy Albrecht told media, “Today, Yuki is different from the day he first came here. He is now one of the most interesting animals in our sanctuary. He is not easy to know guy but he has still bonded with a couple of volunteers. Whenever he sees one of these volunteers, he calls out to them to come and spend time with him.”
Unfortunately, this love story is coming to an end as Yuki has been diagnosed with blood cancer.
Jeremy Albrecht said, “While it is heartbreaking to say goodbye to our animals but when he starts showing symptoms we will do, what we always do to make the right decision for Yuki’s life.”
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