Showing posts with label wolf sanctuary. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wolf sanctuary. Show all posts

Monday, January 6, 2014

How To Adopt A #Wolf at the Wolf Sanctuary of PA by Karen Rose Smith

The Speedwell Forge Wolf Sanctuary of Pennsylvania is a place where wolves who have been treated badly or who are homeless can come to recuperate and thrive.  This sanctuary is completely non profit, run by dedicated volunteers.  It was easy to see that dedication when I visited the sanctuary.  Hunters as well as restaurants in the area donate food. Care of the wolves and upkeep of the property is constant.

One of the ways the sanctuary can remain non profit is its ADOPT A WOLF program.  When we visited the sanctuary the first time, we took the Full Moon Tour.  That meant on a Saturday night mid month when the moon was full, volunteers stood at the fenced in areas at the wolf packs closest to the parking area, ready to answer questions and talk about the wolves--gray wolves, timber wolves and hybrids.  After that visit, I adopted Yellow Feather and I ordered an adoption packet for my husband for his birthday for Dakota.  I was so fascinated by the wolves that we went back for a private two hour tour a few weeks later.  On that tour, I particularly focused on Thor, a wolf with cataracts.  His story is here at my blog: Adaptation Is The Greatest Gift (Thor) . After that visit, I symbolically adopted him.  I wanted to be a part of this special place and help preserve the sanctuary and the wolves.
Dakota, Yellow Feather, and Thor

The donation for a symbolic adoption at the wolf sanctuary is $40.00.  You can adopt a wolf or send a packet to a loved one or friend as a gift.  The kit you will receive includes a photo of your wolf, an adoption certificate, a biography about your wolf and a wolf information sheet.        


Click here to find out more.  ADOPT A WOLF PROGRAM, Speedwell Forge  

For information about Speedwell Forge Wolf Sanctuary go to their main page which is the portal to tour information, the adoption program, their family of wolves and much more. Wolf Sanctuary website  If you are ever in the Lititz, Pennsylvania surroundings, this is definitely a stop you should make when touring the area.

As the wolf sanctuary has expressed on its website--Extinct Is Forever. 

 Karen's Visiting Speedwell Wolf Sanctuary Blog










©2013 Karen Rose Smith





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Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Adaptation is the Greatest #Gift, A #Wolf Can Teach Humans by Karen Rose Smith




Life provides us with lots of obstacles to overcome.  Sometimes I need a reminder about how to handle them. A wolf reminded me that adaptation is the greatest gift of all.

After watching the packs of wolves at Speedwell Forge Wolf Sanctuary, seeing them interact and learning their stories, I did have a favorite. I adopted Thor.  Maybe it was Thor's story I related to.  He has cataracts and can probably only see shadows.  Thor has a mate named Lucky and together they form a pack of two.  They are a close pair.  Although Thor can't see well, he can hold his own in every situation.  He knows every inch of the territory he shares with Lucky...where they roam.


When I was fifty years old, I learned I had the cataracts of a seventy-year-old.  Doctors didn't know what caused them. Because of other complications I didn't have surgery for about four years.  Colors had changed.  My world grew very cloudy and narrow.  However, my other senses became more acute.  I compensated by memorizing my environment as best as I could.  This is Thor's world.

I finally had surgery and near-vision implants. But the technology just isn't there in veterinary medicine to enable cataract surgery.  Not only that, but there is high toll on an animal who is captured, anesthetized, and operated on.



On my private tour at Speedwell Forge, I spent lots of time observing and photographing Thor because I was fascinated with him.  He looks peaceful, serene even, in tune with his surroundings and with Lucky.  Those were just my impressions.

Speedwell Forge's Adopt A Wolf program is explained here at their website. ADOPT A WOLF link  When visitors to the sanctuary adopt a wolf, that helps pay for his or her care. And by the way...you can give an adopted wolf as a Christmas present!

I'll soon have my adoption packet for Thor.  With it will come a photo by wildlife photographer Chuck Rineer that I'm going to frame and hand in my office.  There is a good reason for that.  By seeing Thor's photograph, I will remember to be a survivor...to adapt...to learn to make obstacles just part of life's journey.









Read Karen's new mystery. Her sleuth Caprice De Luca is an animal lover too!
STAGED TO DEATH on Amazon




 ©2013 Karen Rose Smith

Karen Rose Smith's romance website 

Karen Rose Smith's mystery website 

Karen Rose Smith's SEARCH FOR LOVE SERIES website 

IN TOUCH WITH KAREN ROSE SMITH ezine


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Sunday, November 24, 2013

A #Wolf Love Story by Karen Rose Smith, Speedwell Forge Wolf #Sanctuary




When I took a private tour of the Speedwell Forge Wolf Sanctuary with my husband, I could soak in a better sense of day to day life there without all the humans around.  I'm an open spaces and nature kind of girl and have to admit I sometimes prefer animal company to human company.  Chuck Rineer, a volunteer at the wolf sanctuary for about seven years and a wildlife photographer, was our guide.  It was easy to see that he understands these animals. 

One of the packs we visited consisted of two wolves--Destiny and Chipper.  Their story tugged at my heart.
Chipper
Destiny is a beautiful wolf (in my opinion).  She lived in a retirement community with two wolves who passed on.  She was sad and depressed there so she was brought to Speedwell and introduced to another orphan, a hybrid (part dog, part wolf) named Chipper.  When they became friends, Destiny, who had let herself go--her hair was matted and she had no verve for life--perked up!  Not only did she perk up, but she and Chipper became friends...and then mates.

Destiny

Chipper, mourning his losses, was lonely too.  But once he and Destiny were together, he became full of life and wolf energy again.

The day we were there, however, Chipper's belly was full and he was napping!  Chuck told us that Chipper likes the human activity around and it was easy to see we didn't bother him in the least!  Our being there didn't interrupt his nap at all.  And...Destiny was close by, relaxing herself.

In the wolf kingdom, this is romance.  Mates for life.

Karen's Adopt A Wolf blog

 Karen's Visiting Speedwell Wolf Sanctuary Blog










©2013 Karen Rose Smith


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Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Visiting Speedwell #Wolf Sanctuary in #Pennsylvania by Karen Rose Smith




My first visit to the Speedwell Forge Wolf Sanctuary in Lititz, Pennsylvania included the full moon tour.  There was a bonfire burning bright that couldn't be drowned by splurts of rain.  We were able to visit several packs of wolves with a guide stationed at each pack.  I became fascinated with these magnificent creatures and definitely wanted to return in daylight to spend more time in their presence.  I also had a lot of questions about the wolves.



My husband and I arranged for a private tour recently.  The entrance and gate let you know that this isn't an ordinary place.  We drove on a gravel road.  A volunteer let us through the gate.  We passed the bed and breakfast, and took a winding road to a spot where we could park.  A general tour was just finishing.  After letting the volunteers know we were there, we discovered our guide would be wildlife photographer Chuck Rineer.  Who better to tell us about these mysterious animals!  We began with the timber wolves, a subspecies of the gray wolf.  Wolves live in families with a pair and offspring.  Their group is called a pack.  In Speedwell, there are some packs made up of a genetic family, but other packs where lone wolves have formed bonds to create a pack.  This first pack was a family--Merlin, Tioga and Keisha.  All of the packs have a history and I hope to go into that in future blogs.

Merlin, Keisha, Tioga
Tioga


















There are about 30 wolves on the property.  Tioga is the only one Chuck can hand feed and "pet."  He does enter the fenced-in areas to feed the wolves.  I asked if he's ever afraid that they'll harm him.  He answered that he's not, because humans are the wolves only predators, so they're not likely to attack.  On the other hand, they are still wild animals and only tolerate humans because they feed them.  Speedwell Forge is a non-profit sanctuary kept going by donations and dedicated volunteers.  Chuck has been working with and photographing the wolves for about seven years.

Merlin, Tioga and Keisha are a family.  Merlin is the dad, Tioga is the son. Keisha and Tioga's mom were sisters.  There is a rivalry for attention between the alpha wolf Merlin and his son Tioga.  Being the alpha means first stab at the food which can range from deer that hunters donate to chicken legs to ground meat.

Chuck told us story about how Keisha had dug a deep den when she went into heat (the males are neutered but the females are not spayed).  Tioga decided to inspect it and rearrange it a bit.  Keisha was not happy.  Tioga had gone to a pool of water to cool off, but she managed to pull at his tail to register her disapproval.  While watching these timber wolves, I forgot to snap many pictures because I was so caught up in their body language and antics, as well as the information Chuck gave us.

We learned wolves, in appropriately good weather conditions, can smell up to 1.75 miles.  They can hear about six miles away in the forest and up to ten in open country.  They can see some color and about as well as humans...85 to 100 yards.  All of their senses are acute to aid in their survival. They are fascinating to watch in their packs.

Watch for my next blog about another pack that consists of Destiny and Chipper.


Destiny




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Sunday, October 20, 2013

Adopt a Wolf? by Karen Rose Smith, Photos at #Wolf #Sanctuary



Why would you ever adopt a wolf?  Friends who really know me wouldn't have to ask.  Readers who have read my feral cat blogs wouldn't have to ask.  The plight of creatures big and small touch my heart.  So when my BFF told me she and her daughter visited a wolf sanctuary and related what they did there, I was intrigued.



Years ago when one of my books was first published, the heroine tells the hero about an adopt-a-wolf program his son might be interested in.  The topic interested me twenty years ago when I wrote RIBBONS AND RAINBOWS and it still does today.  Because the real issue of caring for each other and the creatures we have stewardship over never changes.

So I explored the information about the wolf sanctuary and wanted to visit.  The facility has hours at specific times.  But since walking a distance can be a problem for me, I believed a more casual atmosphere might be better.  My husband and I decided to take the full moon tour, complete with bonfire.  Specific wolf pack areas would be lighted and guides would be stationed with each pack to give information and answer questions.



We knew rain showers were predicted.   But Saturday evening was open so we took the long drive.  We checked in and were given wrist bands.  The bonfire was raging and the wolves were near the fencing, expecting food and maybe extra attention.  They didn't seem to be the least bit disturbed that they had visitors.  Rain soon began to fall.  (I took all my photos in the dark with the rain falling!) But fortunately the wind had stopped and the temperature had remained in the 60's.  What worry was a little rain?  Especially when I wanted to explore something new that concerned the welfare of animals.  I learned that some of the pack areas have shelters, but that the wolves don't use them. (The wolves have an outer protective coat that keeps the rain from seeping down to their skin.)  When the rain became a downpour, folks without umbrellas dispersed and we had a guide to ourselves who was stationed at a gray wolf pack.


For over thirty years this twenty-plus acres of natural woodland has been a refuge for wolves.  Providing food, the proper habitat, as well as veterinary care for over forty wolves is no easy task.  It takes dedication, commitment and volunteers because the sanctuary doesn't accept government or big business assistance.  It maintains itself through tours and donations.  Local restaurants and hunters donate food.

These wolves are often rescued because someone thought they could keep one as a pet.  Wolves are not pets.  States have ordinances about keeping them.  They are beautiful animals who deserve to live where they are free to roam.

You can read so much more about them at the Wolf Sanctuary of PA website. Click here--WOLF SANCTUARY OF PA website

At the website you can learn about each of their wolves as well as donating to help the sanctuary by adopting...and much more.  I hope to return to the sanctuary and learn more about these animals who need a safe home.  There is so much more about these wolves to blog about.













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