Lover Of Animals
Nancy Smith loved animals, so much so that she founded an animal sanctuary. She needed to help every poor animal that needed her. Her sanctuary gives shelter and rehabilitation to any animal, domestic or otherwise.
She personally hired people who she felt were like her - excited about animals and focused on their mission. They didn’t know that soon an animal would arrive that would have them asking a million questions.
Huge Heart
For 10 long years, Brittany Allen was working at the shelter. Upon seeing the new animal that appeared at the shelter, she wanted to step in and spring into action.
Even though he appeared menacing, she knew she had an unspoken bond with him. But once she had found out about his past, she was furious.
Alarming Phone Call
Just one day before Nancy went to Florida to pick up the animal, she had received a suspicious phone call. It was a call from a man who remained anonymous, and he desperately needed an animal taken off his hands.
After asking why the man wanted to give the animal up he just said it had grown up to be “way larger” than anyone could have imagined. And, the next day, she was asked to urgently drive to Browen Animal Shelter in East Coast of Florida.
Ill-prepared
The man said he could never have imagined things playing out the way they did. He read up on all the information he deemed relevant, he checked out the reviews and even researched foreign canine breeds.
He bought everything he felt was necessary for owning a pet — bed, collar, lead, shampoo, engraved tag. He felt ready for the commitment and responsibility that came with pet-ownership. But he was wrong.
Problems
The man had a feeling that Yuki would become a big canine, but he didn’t know how big that was actually going to be. Yuki had grown to be 5 feet tall at only 8 months! This canine was getting way bigger than the man was expecting.
Soon Yuki was so big he could no longer comfortably stay in the man’s house. A crudely made shelter was put up for Yuki, but just because he was outside didn’t mean that the trouble wouldn’t continue.
Getting Help From A Professional
With the rapid development of the puppy, the man was starting to feel quite uncomfortable around him. Certain traits never appeared when he was a puppy. Now that he was growing up, his teeth grew bigger, and so did his claws... much bigger.
The man knew he wasn’t being a responsible owner when the situation got completely out of hand. So, he did the only thing he could think of: he called Nancy Smith.
Insisting
But the man wouldn't take no for an answer when Nancy told him the shelter was at capacity and they’d call him when there was a free spot - as she'd find out later.
The man explained that a “friend” of his got the dog from a breeder and he now felt the dog was way too much for him. One day later, Broward Animal Shelter called Nancy.
Come By Immediately
Over a few years, hundreds of animals have been cared for by the Broward Animal Shelter. But after seeing what had arrived at their doors this time, they had to give this creature up to someone else who was more qualified to deal with it.
They begged Nancy to come immediately to them, they wanted to get the animal to a safe place. Then, they'd would worry about the police.
An Enormous Beast
When Nancy got to the shelter she saw something that will remain with her forever. An enormous, heavy brute was pacing inside the confines of his cage. With his claws making a distinct “tick” on the cage floor as his breath fogged out of his mouth, she got a glimpse of his enormous teeth.
Nancy felt uneasy at the sight of his huge head - matched by an equally big set of teeth. The beast stood a mighty five feet and four inches tall. It couldn’t be a dog, and it couldn't be a wolf. What the staff told Nancy what had happened, she couldn’t believe it.
A "Stray"
The staff told Nancy that they had found this canine tied up by the shelter and they had labeled him as a “stray”. This couldn’t be an accident. The inconsiderate man had called her just a day earlier!
The man who called Nancy must have been antsy to get rid of his pet. so, he abandoned it at the closest shelter!
Angry
Nancy sympathised with the beast. His owner must not have researched how to care for hybrids before he had decided to get one.
Now the poor animal was the one paying for his mistake. Seething, Nancy took him immediately.
Check-Up
Even with Yuki’s sad story, once he arrived at the shelter his health was determined to be quite good when compared to most animals that arrived there.
Despite the intimidating outward appearance he had, he was very friendly to people and had a sociable personality.
DNA Results
Suspicions were realized when Nancy and the team at Shy Wolf Animal Sanctuary tested Yuki’s DNA. He was 87.5% Gray Wolf, 8.6% Husky, and 3.9 German Shepherd.
This high amount of wolf bred into a dog made him illegal to be bred or to be owned in the state of Florida.
Hybrids
Wolves have always been well-liked for their intuition and majesty. This explains why dog-wolf mixes are increasing. Unethical and untrained breeders hope to give their buyers an animal that is man’s best friend, but that takes on the appearance of a wolf.
These people don’t understand what the consequences can be, not just for them, but more importantly for the animals.
An Unnecessary Risk
Breeders don’t understand that breeding hybrids are tricky because no one can be sure which part of the genes will be dominant. They could have the aesthetic of a wolf but the personality of a dog, but it could also be the other way around.
With all this uncertainty, Breeding or owning wolfdogs is banned in some states. Eben worse problems arise when the owners dump their dogs when they can’t handle taking care of them.
No Home To Go To
The normal dog owner may not be willing to care for the wolfdog’s unique persona. They need to eat more, they need a bigger space so they can run, and they take more time to train than an ordinary dog.
Yuki was too domesticated to live in the wild but also too feral to stay at a normal dog shelter, as is the case with most wolfdogs.
Left High And Dry
The first animal saved by Nancy was a leopard that lost one of its legs, despite this, wolfdogs are still the most abandoned animal. Nancy planned to track down the original owner, but before she could even start, Yuki’s life would change completely.
Since Shy Wolf Animal Sanctuary was founded 20 years ago, there has been an enormous increase in deserted wolfdogs. In fact, every year the sanctuary saves 20-100 of them!
Turn In Personality
While Yuki was exploring what the sanctuary’s outdoor enclosure had to offer, suddenly a palmetto pinned his leg.
A cut appeared on his right leg and 5 surgeries had to take place before his leg was finally healed. This is when Yuki started to become more aggressive while confined to a cage.
Problems With Trust
After his leg was healed, his aggression started to subside, too. Yuki began developing his persona and would only trust a few women that would visit him inside his enclosure.
One of the women was Brittany. No one at the sanctuary could have known that Yuki was about to become very popular.
Internet Star
One day, Brittany decided to post a picture of Yuki on the sanctuary’s Facebook page. This photo showed Yuki’s size — he was a giant compared to 5”4 Brittany, who was also in the photo.
Soon after the photo was posted, it went viral. Nobody could believe that the wolfdog was so enormous, and many claimed that the photo was photoshopped.
Going Viral
But Britney hit back at the claims, stating: “It’s just his fat angle guys. We all have one”. It wasn’t long before the photo was shared and commented on by Facebook users all over the world. Everyone was fascinated with Yuki.
“They definitely are creatures that demand respect. It would be a much different encounter in the wild than what I do with these guys. The animals I work with have never been in the wild and never will be, so they are more socialized,” Brittany explains.
Educating The Public
“We show off their adorable moments in the hope of helping people identify with them at least and maybe change their fear response into a healthy respect through education,” Brittany continued, “… And also giving an animal a chance at a decent life when otherwise they would be euthanized.”
Despite the delight that the photo brought to fans, some bad news would soon make its way to the sanctuary.
Not Himself
For a while now, Yuki hadn’t been himself. He wasn’t eating that much and his excited attitude seemed to slowly fade away. Even when one of the team members played with his favorite toy, Yuki was not interested in the slightest.
He seemed to mope around his enclosure, occasionally engaging in a bit of playtime. The team knew they needed answers.
Bad News
It turned out that Yuki had cancer that, unfortunately, was terminal. While the team had dealt with that particular cancer before, they knew Yuki was a fighter and would hopefully persevere through it as long as he could.
Yuki had been fighting cancer for a while, so the team made sure that they would make the best of their time with their favorite wolfdog. But Yuki had already made his mark…
Making His Mark
Since arriving at the shelter back in 2008, Yuki has definitely made his mark. His outgoing and cheeky personality is what made him a favorite with the guests and staff. He’s been at the sanctuary for 12 years and has won a lot of hearts along the way.
But Yuki also did something monumental for Shy Wolf Sanctuary...
Raising Awareness
“Today, Yuki is one of the most interesting animals in the sanctuary. He is not an easy guy to get to know, but he does have a small number of volunteers he has bonded with,” said Jeremy Albrecht. “He has gained the nickname “Woowoo” because when he sees any of his chosen volunteers that is the noise he makes, beckoning that volunteer to come spend time with him.”
And, since Yuki’s photo went viral, the sanctuary has seen a huge increase in support and visitors. Nancy and her team continue to raise awareness about the plight of wolfdogs everywhere.