Making the decision to become a pet owner – of any animal – is a big responsibility that shouldn’t be taken lightly, so when the dog you get turns out to be an actual wolf, there are some tough decisions to make.
The family that had originally bought Yuki from a breeder realized they’d gotten in too deep when their eight-month-old puppy ended up being too big for their home, as well as too much of a commitment for them to handle.
Facing no other alternative, the family chose to dump him at a “kill shelter”. And as 9gag reports, this is where the Shy Wolf Sanctuary came to his rescue.
Shy Wolf Sanctuary is based out of Naples, Florida, and their focus is to take in exotic animals that can’t be adopted. And by taking in Yuki, they have given him a real home.
They conducted a DNA test, and the results showed that his background is 87.5% Gray Wolf, 8.6% Siberian Husky, and 3.9% German Shepard. While this is an amazing mix, it also means that he would be unable to be rehomed since he is classified as a wild animal. However, he has fit right in at Shy Wolf. And he’s also somewhat of a celebrity on Instagram, thanks to his favorite carer, Brittany Allen.
Brittany spoke with Bored Panda and said, “Wolfdogs are a bit more difficult in my opinion because you don’t exactly know how much wolf behavior vs. dog behavior they will have. Yuki isn’t necessarily more social vs. the pure wolves. We have pure wolves, who will run away when they see new people because they are generally shy, curious animals. Yuki, however, will run straight to a new person and if he doesn’t like them will become aggressive towards them.”
“They are very selective but when they bond it is pretty unique. Yuki is a real character too. He is very selective about who he lets into his enclosure, with only a few women allowed in, which the sanctuary has nicknamed his ‘harem’.” She added.
Jeremy Albrecht, another one of the people who look after Yuki, said: “Today, Yuki is one of the most interesting animals in the sanctuary. He is not an easy guy to get to know, but he does have a small number of volunteers he has bonded with. He has gained the nickname ‘Woowoo’ because when he sees any of his chosen volunteers that is the noise he makes, beckoning that volunteer to come spend time with him.”
Unfortunately, the loveable Yuki has recently faced a very big tragedy, having been diagnosed with an untreatable blood cancer. This means he will spend the rest of his time at the sanctuary until the team of carers believe that he is too uncomfortable. Luckily for him, this means that however long he’s got will be spent surrounded by people who give him loads of love, attention, and care.
We wish Yuki all the best.
