Wolfwood Refuge: Saving Wolves and Wolfdogs

As the fortyish woman drove east from California, she decided on a whim to stop at an animal shelter in Flagstaff, AZ to look for a yellow Labrador Retriever. She hadn’t grown up with dogs but on that trip home knew she was ready for one.

A huge wolfdog mix tried to engage her at the animal shelter. He ambled toward her. She braced herself, waiting for him to lunge. Instead, he sat down by her, leaning his body against her leg. A couple walked into the room where she was visiting this wolf-malamute mix. He got up and walked to the farthest corner of the pen. He wanted nothing to do with them.

Paula Woerner learned that this mix was about to be put down because no one wanted to adopt him. That clinched the deal. She walked out with Winslow who soon bonded with her husband and the corgi owned by their son.

In 1996, this third and fourth-grade teacher, husband, and wolf-dog Winslow moved just outside of Pagosa Springs in southwestern Colorado to a home situated on five acres. Winslow was a housedog but Woerner learned firsthand how this mix could be very destructive. He leaped onto counters and tables and flew through window screens. His weight broke the furniture!

She discovered quickly why wolfdog mixes should not be pets. According to Woerner, their behavior just isn’t the same as domesticated dogs although people purposefully breed these hybrids- mostly wolves with Alaskan malamutes- to sell for a couple of thousand dollars.

While living in Pagosa Springs, Woerner heard that the owners of a wolf-malamute litter only wanted all black puppies and decided to put down the only pup with a white spot on her chest. Woerner stepped up and adopted the pup.

Two rescues turned into three as her passion to save these hybrid critters grew. Her wolf and wolfdog population increased to 69 animals.

EARLY YEARS

In 1996, she established the 501c nonprofit, Wolfwood Rescue. It’s licensed by the state and federal governments. Most of her wards have been physically or mentally abused, she says. The wolves that come to Wolfwood are rescues that otherwise would be put down, either for health, abuse, or neglect reasons. They aren’t candidates for release after their rehabilitation because they have been accustomed to humans and wouldn’t survive on their own in the wild, she says.

Woerner explains Wolfwood Rescue’s purpose is to rehabilitate and provide lifelong homes for wolves, wolf-dog mixes, and the occasional rescue canine.  And to educate the public about wolves and wolfdogs.

Over the past 25 years, she’s extensively researched wolves and made observations about them. She advocates saving wild places for wild animals.

In 2002, the refuge was still located on Woerner’s Pagosa Springs property situated mon five acres in a residential area. She thought she needed more property in a less populated area for the refuge.

To the southwest of Pagosa Springs lies the town of Ignacio, with a population of about 850. She bought 40 acres outside of the town. The Southern Ute Indian Reservation borders the property on two sides and oil fields on another. Homes border the property’s fourth side. Her property’s rolling hills are punctuated with ample rocks and pinyon pines that offer good habitat to the rescue wolves and hybrid wolves.

All of the refuge’s residents live in fenced-in enclosures, larger than an eighth of an acre with dog houses. Some are paired together and others live separately and next to other enclosures. That allows the singles to live on their own turf but next to others without being pestered. Wolfwood currently has about 30 enclosures, with a total population of 54: rescue dogs, wolves, and wolfdog mixes.

Woerner estimates that five to twelve new wards join her refuge each year, with its population averaging 50 to 60 animals. She rarely rescues litters of pups but did one year- nine puppies from Anchorage. The rescue and/or its volunteers find ways to bring the critters to Wolfwood. Many of the animals have been flown in and sometimes come to the refuge as the result of court orders.

Wolfwood never breeds its animals; all are spayed or neutered. The animals come to the refuge to live out their lives. They first are treated for any health and/or socialization issues when they arrive at Wolfwood.

The Pagosa Springs Veterinary Hospital provides medical care for the animals. The vet, Dr. Nannette Wagner-Lockard, “is tremendous and crawls into a dog house if the animal is unwilling to come out,” says Woerner.  Dr. Wagner-Lockard visits the refuge twice a year to vaccinate half the population per visit.

WOLF-DOG DIFFERENCES

How are wolves different from dogs? Woerner says physically they have:

• very, very long pointed noses
• furry, erect ears
• giant curved teeth
• slanted but only green, brown, or grey but never blue eyes
• very long tails that can cover their noses when curled up
• huge webbed feet without rear dew claw

She notes that wolves move differently than dogs. Their back feet track their front feet. They can run up to 35 MPH!

Unlike dogs, Woerner also says wolves greet humans and other critters differently than domesticated dogs. Instead of smelling another canine’s butt (anal glands), they might smell a black spot on another wolf’s long tail or its facial cheeks that house scent glands. They also have excellent communication skills- grunting, growling, and howling. They play rougher than dogs and grab the other critter’s head as a greeting because their parents taught them as cubs to do so as the adults hunted away from the cubs, ate their prey, and then regurgitated the food in front of the cubs for the latter to eat.

Woerner laughs as she recalls one volunteer was in a wolf pen repeatedly bending over as she scooped up poop when she realized her head was inside a new resident wolf’s mouth. The wolf interpreted her bending as a play bow meaning she was ready to play. And the wolf signaled back by grabbing her head! Wolves also mark their territory every few minutes peeing on everything.

Where does Wolfwood’s population come from? Nationwide, from as far north as Alaska and as far east as New Jersey, according to Woerner. Over the years, rescue groups, shelters, and others have learned of the refuge by word of mouth. The nonprofit doesn’t advertise and since COVID, the few nationwide wolf refugees have become even scarcer, she adds. There are two other wolf sanctuaries in Colorado along the Front Range.

What do the wolves and wolf hybrids eat? Meat and lots of it!  They are fed twice weekly— on Tuesdays and Saturdays. “Wolves don’t need to eat every day- they may eat 20 pounds of meat in one day and need time for digestion,” Woerner explains. This time of year, they eat lots of meat and bones from distributors and high-protein kibble. Specially tailored meals are fed older and special needs animals.

Three caretakers live at Wolfwood and provide the day-to-day care of the animals, including cleaning enclosures, feeding, and socialization. Woerner says the caretakers are the humanswho may notice something is amiss with one of their wards.

Volunteers help on the two big feeding days, with tours of the refuge and when the veterinarian visits. Wolfwood volunteers range in age from 12 to 80 years old and come from all walks of life, including individuals sentenced by local courts to community service work.

LEARNING ABOUT WOLVES

Pre-COVID, Woerner and her volunteers traveled around southwestern Colorado to present educational programs for the Boys and Girls Clubs, libraries, the Purgatory ski resort, and all levels of secondary schools to educate adults and children about wolves and wolfdogs.  She always took one or two full wolf ambassadors and six or seven wolfdogs per visit. Currently, she no longer has wolves that enjoy going out into the community but has numerous wolfdogs that can attend those offsite educational presentations. She notes her former wolf ambassadors have crossed the Rainbow Bridge.

Woerner says since COVID, it’s best for interested groups and individuals to visit the refuge at a pre-arranged time. They can meet wolfs and wolfdogs, including her “rockstar” ambassador wolfdog, Xena, a three-year-old wolf-Malamute mix.

During her tours and/or educational programs, Woerner dispels several myths about wolves:

1. Wolves aren’t going to hurt or eat humans.
2. They don’t make good pets. They don’t act like typical dogs and one never knows what will happen each day. Caretakers must be very flexible.
3. They aren’t evil.
4. They aren’t bloodthirsty, meaning if they smell blood, they aren’t going to attack a human.
5. People should act confidently around wolves.
6. If a human doesn’t look a wolf in the eye, the animal thinks something is wrong.
7. Wolves like to greet humans and others by licking one’s face- because when they were young pups, they’d lick the faces of their parents who regurgitated food.
8. Unlike dogs, wolves don’t want humans to hug or hold them- no arms around them but pats are okay. Humans shouldn’t approach a wolf with tightened fists because they think you are about to strike them. Reach out carefully with an open hand and let them touch you first.

Woerner says one fairly recent problem for wolves cropped up with the popularity of  DNA genetic testing. She’s learned that many commercial companies’ testing is largely inaccurate and often estimate a percentage of wild dog in the DNA results which clients interpret as meaning wolf. Upon receiving such results, people find they aren’t able to train or cope with their animals, and thus give them up even though the dogs may not be part wolf.  She notes that two universities conduct very accurate DNA testing but such tests are very expensive.

The refuge is funded exclusively with donations and sales from its online store. It doesn’t have corporate sponsors. Woerner says all donations go toward the animals’ food, vet care, 10-foot heavy metal fencing, and new enclosures.

For more information about Wolfwood or to donate to this nonprofit, see http://www.wolfwoodrefuge.org/

PHOTOS: All courtesy of Wolfwood Refuge