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.