Welcome!

WELCOME TO THE 2015

WOLF RUN VOLUNTEER BLOG!

Please feel free to take some time to scroll through and read our experience volunteering at Wolf Run Wildlife Rescue. If you have any questions, comment on a post below. Enjoy!

Contributors:

Bridgid Browne

Char Gaunky 

Paige Kinsella 

Megan Van Son 
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Megan Van Son grew up in Maryville, Tennessee and recently moved to Lexington to attend the University of Kentucky. An avid horseback rider and outdoors-person, Megan was excited to have the opportunity to work with the animals at Wolf Run. She is currently a freshman at UK with a double major in Business Management and Equine Science and is part of the Social Enterprise Program. 

Paige Kinsella is currently a freshman at the University of

Kentucky. She is originally from Louisville, Kentucky, and


decided to attend the University of Kentucky to major in

Nursing. Wolf Run seemed like an exciting volunteer service

site to her because she has a love for animals!

Bridgid Browne is from Nashville, TN. She is a Freshman at the University of Kentucky attending as a Nursing major. Bridgid has been involved with and surrounded by animals her entire life and therefor has experience in the care of both dogs as well as horses. Bridgid was looking forward to expand her experiences with animals by gaining exposure to animals she has never seen.

Char Gaunky is from Chicago, IL. She is a freshman at UK, double majoring in Finance and Business Management. She loves animals of every sort and is excited to learn about the care of animals through her volunteer project.

Get involved with Wolf Run - Final Video

Want to volunteer at Wolf Run? Here is a short video of what you can expect and how to prepare for your time at the organization!

Final Volunteer Day

On Saturday morning, I woke up early to head to Wolf Run for my final volunteer day. Upon arrival, the other volunteers and I were greeted by a facility-wide howling session, in which almost every dog, wolf, or wolf-hybrid joined in song. It was eerie but beautiful to witness. The ground was covered in frost, with the white icicles glinting in the sun. Unfortunately, this frozen beauty meant that the hoses were also frozen. 

Watching the feeding round procedures

Upon approaching the Animal Care Staff Manager, she informed us that there were not a lot of tasks to complete that morning, so we followed her and watched as she fed the animals and made sure each pen contained happy, healthy rescues.

Whiskey the pig enjoying some attention.

After finishing the feeding rounds, each volunteer was given a pumpkin and followed the staff to the pigs' enclosure. Inside, we smashed the pumpkins against the ground and rocks to split them open as a tasty treat for the pigs. The pigs were surprisingly friendly and not only welcomed their morning snack but also appreciated being pet and given attention. 

After enjoying time with and learning the backgrounds of each of the resident pigs, we moved on to the "puppy pen" that is the home to the majority of the dogs or wolf-dogs at Wolf Run. We enjoyed time watching and interacting with the playful dogs as they ran, jumped, rolled, and howled. As my time volunteering at Wolf Run came to a close, I smiled and watched the happy animals enjoying the cold morning sun and their freedom from the dangers many of them once faced. Wolf Run is dedicated to ensuring that their animals know they are loved, and it is clear from the way the dogs run up to the staff and how the pigs snuggle up with their caretakers that Wolf Run is successful in this mission. 

Final Video Reflection

Final Reflection

 

 

 

 

 

Would you love to interact with wolves such as this one? Then volunteer at Wolf Run! To learn more about volunteering at Wolf Run visit: http://www.wolfrun.org/#!get_involved/c1yzj

Wolf Run Final Reflection

Click here to read an awesome article published by the Kentucky Kernel about Wolf Run and their hybrid ambassadors Jericho and Nyeli!

And Happy Thanksgiving from Raz! :)

More weeding....and other interactions

So today we did more weed pulling. Yes, it seems repetitive, but its extremely gratifying. These wolf dogs are dependent on humans for their livelihood as well as their environment. It’s actually a very tragic thing; these are beautiful animals whose instinct is to be loose in the wild. They are meant to hunt their own food, find their own shelter, venture to get water. It’s like having a brilliant mind that is capable of amazing thought and talent yet being restrained to only think certain thoughts within a small range. This restraint is all due to a lack of responsibility. Back yard breeders or puppy mills are what have created this problem for wolf dogs. Wolf dogs are not a natural animal. You don’t find them in the wild, point blank. They are man made. These irresponsible breeders also give a bad reputation to responsible dog breeders. Puppy mills and back yard breeders are people who breed for money. They do not look out for the best interest of the dog. They are not looking to improve the health, structure, beauty, and temperament of the animals and this is how they differ from true breeders. Puppy mills and back yard breeders are responsible for the vast majority of dogs in animal shelters. 

Today we got to play with a wolf dog named Raz who was purchased by a young couple, from a wolf dog puppy mill, who were uneducated about wolf dogs. The couple quickly learned that this dog was beyond their control and training. Raz is probably one of the most friendly and outgoing dogs I have ever met. He is considered mid to low content meaning he is more than 20% wolf. They are able to tell this by his characteristics such as the shape of his tail, color of his eyes, and coat color. He is a beautiful animal however his full wolf instincts will never be met because he will always live in captivity. That to me, is tragic for that animal. Breeding domestic animals is a very different situation than breeding wolf dogs. A domestic animal is mentally programmed to like the indoors, attention, and interaction. 

We also watched two wolf dogs rough house and play together. It was a male and female, The female was trying to get the male to run around and play . They were pretty much playing tag!The male was also quite a bit chunkier than the female who was athletic and lean. She would grab his leg as if to punish him for not exercising with her. Their interactions were adorable and beautiful. I also noticed how different they interacted than domestic dogs. If two domestic dogs tried to play like these wolf dogs, they would end up in a very aggressive fight however wolves see it as play. Everything is in perspective just like in different cultures how hugging and the volume of your voice can be interpreted in different ways.