Kasha and Shaman came to W.O.L.F. from New Jersey in 1999 as carry-on luggage. The arrival of the pups, pure wolves 2 ½ and 3 ½ weeks old, and weighing two pounds, was anxiously awaited at the Sanctuary. A nursery was prepared for them in the cabin’s bathtub, and upon the pups arrival, the lives of staff and volunteers were taken over with the care and feeding of these two little balls of fluff with sharp teeth that went through nipples as fast as we could replace them. Every day was a new experience and a tremendous amount of work.

Within weeks, the pups were so big that they no longer could be left in the house, let alone in the bathtub! We built an outdoor run for them on the cabin porch, and they were moved outside where we could still watch them continuously. At about this time we started introducing the pups to solid food. Now the fun really began as we taught the pups how to eat and drink out of a bowl. As the pups continued to grow, so did their antics. They turned into petty thieves and pickpockets. They would steal glasses off your face, ties from your hair, and watches from your wrist. Items would disappear from pockets and not be missed until needed.

Unfortunately, Kasha was born with a degenerative bone disease, as a result of his mother having cancer while pregnant. As Kasha grew, his front legs began to bow in. It became apparent that surgery would be necessary to correct the issue or he would not be able to walk effectively. Due to the extensiveness of the surgery (9 hours to complete) and the length of recovery (6 months) we could only operate on one leg at a time. As a result of the trauma associated with this two-year process, Kasha, once very social, became standoffish with humans, often only approaching if he wanted to steal something or if you had food.

Kasha and Shaman were placed with another wolf named Tunyan, and the three were affectionately known as the “Brat Pack”. They certainly lived up to their name, especially when Tunyan decided Kasha was to be her mate and kicked Shaman out of the pack. As Kasha aged, it was obvious his legs had started to bother him again as he became less active and started limping on his left hind leg. He also developed kidney issues, which was treated with a diet change.

One winter morning we awoke to find Kasha in severe pain, unable to use his right front leg. He was transported to the vet clinic where blood tests were performed and an X-ray was taken. We brought him home to wait for the results. The blood results came in and indicated acute renal failure. Staff worked tirelessly to get painkillers into him. Eventually nothing worked and Kasha was helped to pass.