Born: February 16, 1995
Rescued From: Colorado
Given Sanctuary: March 1, 1995
Returned to Spirit: November 14, 2008
Rami was one of the sweetest animals at the Sanctuary, always looking to any human for attention. She was also one of the most alpha females, willing to initiate an attack against another female in order to prove her position. These dichotomies are exactly the reason that a lot of wolf dogs get themselves into trouble, even if they are fairly low percentage wolf. An alpha male, Sasha, adopted the pups and became their patient yet insistent instructor. Watching them imitate his behavior and get reprimanded when they were out of line was amazing. Encouraging them to fight back by pushing them down a snow bank was hilarious. Their biological mom and their adopted dad switched off responsibility and showed the patience that most humans only dream about.
Rami and one of her sisters, Chocolate Face, began to team up and attack other members of their pack, and we were forced to separate them into their own enclosure. In 2006, we accepted a four-month-old puppy named Isabeau into the pack. Isabeau quickly became too much for the older ladies to handle, and she was placed with another pack. After Chocolate Face passed away, Rami became the last member of her pack. She was spoiled, going on daily walks, and getting lots of extra goodies and attention. We thought this would be hard on her, but Rami seemed to enjoy the company of humans more than animals.
Rami began having neurological issues very suddenly. The symptoms worsened every day. She had trouble walking, then balancing, then getting up, and seemed confused. Our vet diagnosed a brain tumor. Steroids were started to give her some more good days, but they did not help, and one day Rami could not get up at all. We helped Rami pass less than a week after she became ill.