My New Home

Hello friends,

My name is Dakota. I’m happy to have this chance to talk with you about my new life here at the sanctuary.

I’m a wolf-dog, half-wolf and half-Malamute. I’m also completely blind. Brenda, the woman who runs the sanctuary, helped me escape a terrible situation and brought me here.

My new home.

My original circumstances make it tough for me to feel trust, or to feel comfortable around people, or to get used to new things. Being blind doesn’t make it any easier.

Lucky for me, I have an awesome nose. Did you know that wolves’ sense of smell is about 100 times stronger than that of humans? We can smell prey from miles away…hey, do I smell deer?

I use my nose, ears, and touch to help me learn my surroundings. Oh, and Loon helps out, too. Although, I think she likes to misguide me just so she can have first dibs on watermelon.

I want you all to know how important sanctuaries are for animals like me. It’s not like a zoo where I’m used for entertainment. I’m not kept as a pet. A sanctuary is a place where I can be safe, stress-free, healthy. A place where I can live the rest of my natural life in peace. A place where I can be with other wolves (which is important, because our natural social structure is a pack system, like a family).

I could never live in the wild because I don’t have the survival skills I’d need out there. (I might be able to sniff out deer, but I have no idea how to go about catching one.) I can’t be a pet because I was mistreated and now my trust of humans is damaged. So, I’m in a tough spot, middle-of-the-road kind of spot. Not a fun place to be.

I’m very lucky that Brenda helped me. I don’t know what would have happened if it weren’t for Brenda, but I have a feeling it wouldn’t have been good.

I know there are other wolves and wolf-dogs out there in really awful situations. They need help. They need a Brenda.

But, sanctuaries can’t do it on their own. So, if you can, help out a sanctuary near you. Whatever you have: time, money, supplies, support – anything is helpful. Even if it feels small to you, it will be enormous to the sanctuary.

 

Thanks for listening and helping,
Dakota