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What is Eagle Tail Mountain Wolf Sanctuary?
Eagle Tail Mountain Wolf Sanctuary, located in the Arizona desert, 60 miles west of Phoenix, is a sanctuary for wolf-hybrids/wolfdogs. Hopefully, through education, adoption and spay/neuter programs, this sanctuary and others like it, which provide for homeless and unwanted wolf-hybrids and wolfdogs, will become unnecessary in the near future.
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How many animals live at the sanctuary?
Our population averages 100 animals at any given time. Unfortunately, this number would be much larger if the facility could accommodate more. There are few rescues in the United States for wolfdogs and they are always full to capacity and forced to turn away animals.
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What is a "no-kill" sanctuary?
"No-kill" means that animals are not destroyed unless an animal is suffering and there are no reasonable alternatives available other than euthanasia. The animals that come to us are guaranteed a home for life.
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How is the sanctuary funded?
Eagle Tail Mountain Wolf Sanctuary is funded primarily by the donations of members and others providing private support. Purchases from our
gift shop
also fund the sanctuary. Remeber - all donations to Eagle Tail Mountain Wolf Sanctuary are TAX DEDUCTIBLE.
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Where do wolf-dogs come from?
They come from the interference of man. Wolf / dog interbreeding is NOT a naturally occurring mix. Humans breed wolves with dogs for profit. Unfortunately, many of these animals wind up abused and/or abandoned, and with the current legal climate for "exotic" pets, in peril.
In Maricopa County, where the sanctuary is located, and in many other areas of the country, wolf-dogs picked up by animal control are immediately put down. While it is perfectly legal to breed, sell and own the wolf-dogs, the authorities still consider them to be semi-wild animals. Because the pharmaceutical companies do not guarantee that dog rabies vaccines are effective on wolf-dogs, the dogs are destroyed without a quarantine period.
For the wolf-dogs, the sanctuary, and others like it, are their only hope for survival.
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Can something be done about this?
Yes! Eagle Tail Mountain is currently involved with a study by the American Veterinary Association to prove that the rabies vaccines ARE effective for for wolf-dogs. All the wolf-dogs at the sanctuary are vaccinated.
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How do the wolf-dogs come to you?
The dogs come to us mostly from individuals. Some come from people who can simply no longer care for the animal, or from family members when the wolf-dog's owner has passed away. Some come from rescues, where the animal has been removed from an abusive or neglectful environment. Some come from referrals from vets, other rescue groups - even from animal control when they can, without violating their
legal mandate, allow us to pick up the animal before they have to do it.
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Do you "adopt out" any wolf-dogs?
Yes. A loving home is the best outcome for any animal.
However, because the animals that come to us have already been abused or abandoned, and have already suffered traumatic relocations, we are extremely selective about the humans we will consider for adoption. The prospective owner must visit the sanctuary multiple times to interact with
the wolf-dog. We must see that the wolf-dog is bonding with the human. The prospective owner must provide vet references and demonstrate that he or she understands the unique needs of the wolf-dog. All animals are neutered before they can be adopted.
Only those animals that are social and interact well with humans are put up for adoption. The feral wolf-dogs are given a home here for life. They are happier that way.
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Does the sanctuary support the breeding of wolf-dogs?
No, nor does the sanctuary breed the animals. While there are many loving, responsible wolf-dog owners, too many of the animals wind up deserted and abused. Wolf-dogs are high-maintenance pets and require special care and attention. Like many "exotic" pets, too many people get the animals only to discover they are "too much work". That is one of the reasons we are so selective in our adoption process.
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Why keep the animals in pens? Wouldn't they be happier roaming free?
We pen them for their own safety. Allowed to roam freely, the animals would fight with each other. Like their full-blooded wolf ancestors, wolf-dogs are pack animals and strive for the pack hierarchy. In each pack there can be only one Alpha male and only one Alpha female. They achieve this status by fighting for it. Unfortunately, unlike pure-blooded wolves, wolf-dogs will fight to injure and kill.
The normal pack size is 8-10 wolves. With 80 to 100 (the normal population at the sanctuary), the numbers just do not work. With too many Alphas, the natural instinct of the animals would be to fight it out.
Remember there is NO NATURAL HABITAT for wolf-dogs. They are a product of man. There is no way to safely release them "into the wild"; they don't belong there.
The sanctuary strives to provide a middle ground, a place where the animals can live out their lives in safety and comfort. Pens are not the ideal solution. The ideal solution would be a world where the dogs are not abandoned and not subject to immediate death at the hands of animal control.
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Does that mean wolf-dogs are viscious?
In fact, the opposite is true. They are not aggressive animals in general terms. However, the pack instinct is strong and two wolves both desiring to be the Alpha will fight. Domestic dogs do not have the instinct of "okay you win". Two full-blooded wolves will fight until one surrenders and accepts defeat. It is uncommon for them to seriously injure each other. Two domestic dogs will fight until one is dead or no longer able to fight (hence the disgusting existence of dog fights as a "betting" sport).
Unfortunately, wolf-dogs did not inherit their predecessors' ability to know when to stop. They can cause injury to each other.
As with ANY animal, an injured, cornered or terrified wolf-dog might bite a human. Under normal circumstances, they are gentle animals and far more likely to try to avoid conflict with humans rather than to initiate it.
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