It is not often you can see wolf puppies running around and playing, but in Alberta you can – for a small fee.
The Yamnuska Wolfdog Sanctuary recently welcomed three new pups, Quinn, Grizz and Aspen, and visitors to the sanctuary can watch the wolfdogs run around, play or nap in their new home.
“We got the pups in mid July when a facility in Idaho had an accidental litter and their licence didn’t allow them to keep the pups,” said Georgina De Caigny, director of Yamnuska Wolfdog Sanctuary.
“They have been adapting very well.”
The three pups can be viewed during a sanctuary tour where visitors can catch a glimpse of their unique personalities, the staff explained.
Quinn, the small grey female, is very cuddly and is surprisingly human-oriented; Grizz, the bigger blonde wolfdog pup, is “massive” in comparison to his siblings but the staff joke that he is the “gentle giant” of the bunch; and Aspen, the bigger grey pup, might be hard to see as he is more shy and timid, but when he is alone with his siblings he is the “goofy one.”
“I think it helps that they all came in together, they had a pretty smooth transition,” De Caigny said.
Due the to high content of wolf in the pups, De Caigny explained that Quinn, Grizz and Aspen would live the rest of their lives out at the sanctuary with the other adult wolfdogs. Depending on their demeanors as they grow up, the pups might be future ambassador wolfdogs.
Currently the pups share a space with Rango, a one-year-old coydog (coyote-dog hybrid), who has been acting as a surrogate parent.
“Uncle Rango has been a surprisingly good nanny,” De Caigny said with a laugh.
“We also take the pups for play dates with the adult wolfdogs a couple times a week – it helps make them well-rounded.”
The non-profit sanctuary opened its doors in April 2014 as Alberta’s first and only official wolfdog sanctuary, housing 15 permanent residents. The sanctuary is sustained through fees from the tours and donations. Donations help the staff feed, care for, transport and re-home adoptable wolfdogs, and gives the mid- to high-content wolfdogs a permanent home at the sanctuary.
To visit the pups and the rest of the wolfdog family, the sanctuary is 15 minutes from Cochrane, located on 160 acres west of Highway 1A off of Range Road 53.
To learn more, visit yamnuskawolfdogsanctuary.com.
