Wolf Refuge

[Brad]

Chris and I went to the wolf refuge on the NH-Maine border on Saturday. Chris seemed to get along well with the wolves.



And we had our own Dances With Wolves.



The full set of pictures are at http://public.fotki.com/bradbradstre...-26-loki-clan/

[Snow Miser]

Nice pictures Brad. Are the wolves friendly because they were rescued as pups and are use to people?

[Brad]

Bob,

Almost all of these animals were in families as pets - till the owners realized they were in over their head and these are wild animals. So, they have had contact. However, many were abused as the owners tried to control them - baseball bats - shot at - all sorts of things. A couple were rescued from a puppy mill in Texas and never really got into a family. However, they are some of the friendliest.

You have to be very careful with all the animals. Some you can not go near the cage at all. A few they allow people who have been there before to go into a pen. The folks who run the refuge want to see how the animals react to you and how you react to such a wild animal getting real close - and the animals do not respond to commands. Things we know about a dog are not true with these animals. If their tail is wagging - it does not mean anything other than they are excited. It could be good - or it could be bad. They are beautiful and very curious - as Chris found out. When you are up close you realize how big they are and how strong. One was pushing against me and it took all my strength to hold him back.

The refuge does not really welcome visitors (liability concerns) and most people do not get into a pen like we did. But, they do need donations to fund their efforts.

[Snow Miser]

Thanks for the info Brad. It looks like they warmed up to Chris pretty well.

[Brad]

Yes, Chris did quite well. One fellow really liked my pants pocket - then I realized I had several dog treats in there - and I was in trouble. I had to gently keep his nose away from the smell and not get him mad.

[CHRIS]

It was an incredable experince and I cannot Thank Brad for bringing me and Fred and Dan enough for allowing me the pleasure to hang with the Wolves. However I think one of them liked my beard a little more than me.YIKES..

[Anna LeBlanc]

Looks like you had a great time with them Chris,it had to be the goatee.

__________
Anna

[CHRIS]

I loved every minute of it.

[forestgnome]

Wow, that is amazing. I'm really jealous! Funny. I had a dream last night that I found a pack of coyotes and I was petting them and talking to them. They were as big as wolves but they were coyotes in my dream ( I think ). Thanks for sharing

[Brad]

Patrick, it is a rare treat to be able to see the wolves and know they are being well cared for - whether they happen to be friendly or not. It is amazing the refuge can come up with enough funds to keep things running as Fred is very private and is not looking for visitors - but, as a non-profit foundation, he does need our support. As Chris can tell, just about everything around needs a lot of work - or is beyond repair. But, they make do somehow.