A Cochrane-area sanctuary for wolfdogs is adding five new rescues from the United States, and needs help to build them a home.
They’re being surrendered by a Washington sanctuary forced to downsize because of a change in county laws.
Yamnuska Wolfdog Sanctuary is building three, half-acre enclosures for the Washington rescues.
“Most other facilities (and) sanctuaries in the United States, and even the ones that we have here in Canada are full already,” said Georgina De Caigny, who opened the non-profit sanctuary in 2011.
“So we are doing a pretty major expansion, setting up new enclosures in order to make room for these animals and give them the space that they require and deserve,” said De Caigny.
New fencing, transportation and vet bills for the Washington wolfdogs will cost the sanctuary over $20,000.
Driving them to Alberta won’t be easy, because loud noises and unfamiliar situations make them anxious and destructive.
They can open doors and break glass windows, so plastic crates won’t contain them.
“I’m going to build some crates out of steel, build some very strong containment for these guys while we transport them,” said Joel Cates, with the sanctuary.
“It will be a pretty stressful ordeal for them but there’s not really any other way,” he said.
They have high wolf gene content, so they can never be adopted out.
They’re also territorial, so they can’t share enclosure space with Yamnuska’s current pack of 13.
The beautiful animals are bred for movie roles or zoos, and in some cases, they are also sold for thousands of dollars as glamour pets.
Many of those end up being put down, including several litter mates of the Yamnuska pack.
Wolfdogs are destructive, fearful, and have little drive to please humans.
Those with the strongest wolf genetic content can live 16 years.
The rescues at Yamnuska are permanent residents, though a handful with less wolf breeding are adopted out.
The sanctuary is a non-profit, and a registered charity.
You can sponsor one of the wolfdogs or make a donation to help pay for the new enclosures.
Public tours of the sanctuary are on hold until early December, after the new wolfdogs move in and get settled.
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