W.O.L.F. first heard about a wolf dog named Shadow in December 2019. She came into the shelter in Toole, Utah as a stray. It was estimated that her age was about one year old. She was very shy with people at first, but she warmed up very quickly during her time at the shelter.  The shelter asked for W.O.L.F.’s help in placing Shadow.  W.O.L.F. found a placement for Shadow with a woman who runs a small wolf dog sanctuary in the Southeast. W.O.L.F. raised the funds for her transport, and the woman placed Shadow as a foster animal with her sister, who was very excited to provide her with a home.

W.O.L.F.’s Rescue Coordinator received periodic verbal updates about Shadow and was told she was doing very well.  However, Shadow once again came to W.O.L.F.’s attention in June of 2020.  In June, W.O.L.F.’s Rescue Coordinator received a frantic call from the woman that ran the small sanctuary. She said that her sister and Shadow were in trouble. A neighbor reported her sister to Animal Control, and an investigation into animal abuse/neglect was opened. Animal Control visited the home, saw that Shadow was in bad shape, and demanded that Shadow see a veterinarian within forty-eight hours, or they would seize her. The owner told Animal Control that she had only had Shadow since February and that because of the pandemic, she could not get a veterinarian to treat Shadow or spay her. She also said no veterinarian would treat her because she was a wolf dog. Animal Control called every veterinarian in the area, including ones that the owner claimed she called. Only one of the veterinarians had heard from her. That clinic told the owner they would treat Shadow and to bring her in. She never made an appointment and instead she started treating Shadow at home with prednisone without consulting a veterinarian or getting a legal prescription.

After Animal Control’s visit with the owner, she made a veterinarian appointment with her sister’s veterinarian, who treated the sanctuary animals. He saw Shadow on Thursday, June 11 and put her on a treatment regimen to nurse her back to health.

Animal Control did a follow-up call to the veterinarian’s office the next morning. They were told that Shadow most likely had Demodectic  mange.  According to Animal Control, Shadow was kept in a small kennel in a filthy room most of the time. She is believed to have been extremely stressed and anxious. She was only allowed out of the kennel for a potty break. That is when a neighbor saw her and called Animal Control.

Shadow had lost a lot of weight, and Animal Control indicated that she was emaciated and in very bad shape when they saw her. After talking to the veterinarian’s office, they insisted that Shadow must be under continuous veterinary care. Animal Control planned to do a follow-up visit to the home to make sure Shadow was improving. If not, they would seize her.

As soon W.O.L.F.’s Rescue Coordinator saw the pictures of Shadow, she called the Executive Director and asked if we could rescue her since we had an opening at W.O.L.F. It was immediately decided that Shadow would be given sanctuary. W.O.L.F. contacted the small sanctuary and told the owner that we were taking Shadow.  They would need to consent, or we would move to have her seized. They quickly agreed and arrangements were made to have a private transporter bring Shadow to W.O.L.F.

Shadow arrived on June 23 late in the afternoon. She was immediately brought to CSU, where it was determined that she would spend the night so that the Dermatology team would be able to look at her more closely. The veterinary team administered fluids and kept her under observation overnight. The next morning, she was discharged from CSU and transported to the Sanctuary. She was frightened and reactive after her days spent in the car and at CSU.  After arriving in her Sanctuary home, she began to calm down.  It was at this time that staff renamed her Yuki, which means “snow” in Japanese.

As her skin healed and her fur grew back, Yuki was slowly introduced to Kieran. They started meeting out on walks and were gradually allowed to play under close supervision. Before long, it became clear that the two were getting along famously. When Kieran was old enough and Yuki was healthy enough, the two became full-time companions.

Yuki and Kieran lived together successfully for about one year.  However, as Kieran matured, staff began noticing more conflict between him and Yuki. The situation was monitored closely.  It was decided to neuter Kieran earlier than planned in hopes of helping relieve the tension between the two. After his surgery, while Kieran was no longer the aggressor in their interactions, Yuki became more obsessed with Kieran.  W.O.L.F. staff determined that it would be better to separate the two and find more suitable companions.

Yuki was moved to her new forever home in Red Feather Lakes in August of 2023.  Yuki is social with those she trusts and loves getting pets, giving hugs, and tugging on clothing.  She enjoys her life as a bachelorette and going out for walks to show off her perfect leash manners.  She loves to lay in her mulch pile and enjoy the view of the Mummy Range from her habitat.  Most of the time, you will find her interacting with her neighbors by running the fence line.