July 27, 2006 ~ Sanctuary for a "Sanctuary"
Thursday.
Harley
I can't believe that it has been a year and a half since I last wrote about the wolfdog sanctuary. It's not that I haven't been involved; I'm still on the board, and I volunteer out there as frequently as I can (though not as often as I would like). I just haven't been journaling as much in general, and the animal stories have been rather sparse--sciatica and skewed balance made it so that I couldn't do physical labor or work much with the animals during the pregnancy, and getting out there has been difficult since Grove was born. (It'll get easier when he's a little older and more self-reliant. I want the Sanctuary to be a big part of his life, as it has been in mine).
In the past, I have not referred to the wolf and wolfdog sanctuary by name. I've decided to change that. For the last few years, I have been volunteering and serving on the board for Full Moon Farm Wolfdog Sanctuary in Black Mountain, North Carolina.
I hope to post more entries soon about my experiences at the Sanctuary (and all the pictures I've been taking!), but for now, here's a story about the biggest recent change there, which has challenged the organization as it has never been challenged before. This happened back in April, but they're still grappling with it now.
Sky
We had space for sixty wolves and wolfdogs. We were over-full with sixty-six. Nancy had been saying "No, we can't, we're over-full" at every turn, every day, and when "no" means a dead animal, one does not say it lightly.
But then another local wolfdog "sanctuary" was evicted by their landlords. Twenty-four wolfdogs were facing death. It was all over the local media. Animal Control and county officials were involved. Nancy was contacted, and it became clear that our sanctuary was the only option.
If you run an animal sanctuary and you want to continue running with the blessings of the locals and law enforcement, you need to stay in the favor of the media, Animal Control, and government officials, especially if your sanctuary is for a species or breed that is considered "exotic" and often has legal restrictions placed against it. Saying "no" this time would have negative repercussions for a long time to come. "Full Moon Farm? Isn't that the place that wouldn't help when that other sanctuary was shut down?"
But twenty-four more wolfdogs!? That would bring our total to ninety.
Over the past year, we had finally upgraded most of our enclosures to sanctuary-quality large habitats. We were about to get our first intern. Our volunteer base was finally big enough that we needed to develop new strategies to manage it. Every animal under our protection was well cared for, well fed, and had optimal medical treatment. Our budget had finally developed a small amount of breathing room.
If we rescued the wolfdogs from that sanctuary, we would have to put them all in small, temporary quarters and try desperately to find other sanctuaries to transfer as many as possible. Our animal caretaker, Tam, would be pushed to the limit providing care for them. Our budget would once again be tight and strained. The intern position would have to be pushed back because we would no longer be able to buy the trailer for lodging.
Tehya
When Tam and Nancy went to assess the situation at the other sanctuary, however, they quickly realized that anything we could give those wolfdogs would be paradise compared to how they were living. Nancy agreed to take them.
Most of the animals had been kept in one long pen with a fence separating the males from the females. Northern breed dogs and wolves do not get along very well in captivity, especially in smaller pens, so packs are rarely a good idea. Several bore scars from all of the fights they had been in. One had suffered half of her face torn off by another, and it healed badly, giving one side of her face a bad scar and a strange tumor-like bump. Many of them showed signs of psychological and social problems.
The wolfdogs were all very malnourished and thin. They were usually fed only once a week when their caretakers would bring a bag of kibble out to their pen and let them fight over it. The lower-ranking dogs in the pack structure hardly got anything to eat at all. Additionally, wolfdogs need a very high-protein diet, supplemented with meat, but these dogs were fed only the lowest-quality kibble. It was so low in nutrients and they were so unhealthy that their stool was mostly composed of undigested kibbles.
Only one out of all twenty-four was altered (spayed/neutered). They had never had any vaccinations against rabies. Some had bad hip problems. Several had untreated eye infections. They all had parasite problems, having never been de-wormed. And seven of them tested positive for heartworm, which can kill canines. Their fur was patchy and many were dangerously thin.
Hati
That first week was hell for Tam and Nancy. They spent two days catching the dogs and transferring them by the vanload to Full Moon Farm, where they had set up "triage" with all of the dogs crated inside one of our large pens. Each time one of the animals went to the bathroom, its crate had to be cleaned out and re-bedded. Small water buckets in each crate had to be refilled. Feeding was pandemonium. And every once in a while, one of the dogs would break out of its crate and had to be recaptured. Disoriented, scared, and lonely in their crates, the new dogs howled and barked all night long, so that no one could get any sleep. All of this on top of the considerable chores that are always needed to run the rest of the Sanctuary.
Morgan and I wrote a press release about Full Moon Farm rescuing the "sanctuary" whose eviction had been all over the news. We came out to the Sanctuary that first weekend to help build the temporary pens in which these new dogs would live in until they were either transferred or we got new large pens built. We each took turns entertaining Grove while the other worked. By the end of the day, all but one of the new animals were finally out of their crates.
Juneau
I couldn't believe the sad condition these animals were in after coming from a supposed "sanctuary." No vet care whatsoever. Serious life-threatening health problems from near-starvation to heartworm. What kind of "sanctuary" doesn't even properly feed its animals? What kind of "sanctuary" lets an animal whose flesh is hanging from her face go without vet care? The poor thing was deformed for life, but lucky she hadn't died of infection. It made my heart sick, all of it.
How can we rescue animals from this or that individual abusive owner, when we first must rescue a huge group of animals from an abusive "sanctuary" that has been operating right in our own backyard? (Neglect is, in my opinion, abuse). It's incredibly discouraging when the "good guys" are revealed to be bad.
However, month by month, I have had the privilege of watching these "sanctuary" rescues regain their health and spirit. Their coats are now sleek. The eye infections have slowly cleared up. They are regaining muscle on their frames. A few rounds of de-wormer have done wonders for them. They are digesting their food. They run and play with one another, and some come right up to the fence to lick an outreached hand. Progress. It's slow, but progress it is.
Dakota
Two of my good friends are doing what they can to help, and I wanted to let all of my readers know, in case you want to help too. Have you heard of the Blogathon? It will be held this Saturday, the 29th. The Blogathon is like a walkathon, except you are sponsored for hours spent posting online instead of miles walked. Bloggers collect pledges and sponsorships from their friends, family, and readers, then post an entry every half hour for 24 hours. (Staying up all night long for a good cause!)
My friends Alicia and Tam are both blogging for Full Moon Farm in the Blogathon this year, and they are in need of sponsors. The funds raised are going to go directly to the care of the wolfdogs who came from that closed-down "sanctuary." The vet bills alone for these new wolfdogs are probably going to total at least $4,000. Every little bit will help. You can sponsor them throughout the event and even after.
Tam is, as I mentioned, the animal caretaker at Full Moon, so she's going to be posting about what a day at the Sanctuary is like. For a ten dollar donation, she'll write an entry about whichever animal or topic you choose. And Alicia has never actually been to the Sanctuary, but she's read all my stories here and wanted to help.
So, if you're interested, you can sponsor Alicia here or Tam here. Read more about the Blogathon and Full Moon Farm here.
I can't stay up all night to blog, since Grove sleeps with me and would object, but I will be out at Full Moon on Saturday to do the chores that Tam can't since she'll be tied to the computer.
Skoll
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