The Day I Learned That Wild Doesn't Mean Unloving

I have loved wolves for as long as I can remember.

My main spirit guide has always been a black wolf named Lakota. Since childhood, I've felt his steady presence beside me—guiding me, protecting me, reminding me to trust myself and Spirit.

So naturally, I wanted to meet a wolf.

Or at least...what I thought a wolf was.

That journey eventually led me to ROAM Wolf Dog Sanctuary.

Before I visited, I had a question that I suspect many people have.

What exactly is a wolf dog?

A wolf?

A dog?

Something in between?

The answer, I quickly learned, isn't nearly that simple.

Wolf dogs are dogs that carry some percentage of wolf genetics. Some have very little wolf. Others are more than eighty percent wolf.

Unfortunately, they have become victims of a fantasy.

People fall in love with the idea of owning something wild.

Until that adorable seventy-five-pound "puppy" decides the leather couch would make an excellent afternoon snack.

Then reality arrives.

Many of these beautiful animals are abandoned.

Some are turned loose to fend for themselves.

Others end up in shelters where they cannot legally be adopted because of their wolf content.

For many...

That story ends in euthanasia.

My heart broke.

I realized these animals weren't dangerous.

They were misunderstood.

The more time I spent at ROAM, the more often I returned.

Then they began offering "Howl and Hikes."

Walk a trail...

With wolf dogs.

My response?

"Sign me up!"

There is something extraordinary about walking beside an animal that carries both the curiosity of a dog and the ancient wisdom of a wolf.

Eventually I was invited to communicate with some of the sanctuary's highest-content wolf dogs.

I'll admit...

I wasn't sure what to expect.

What I experienced surprised me.

They didn't communicate about being wild.

They communicated about family.

About loyalty.

About responsibility.

About the importance of the pack.

Again and again, I felt one message.

The pack comes first.

Their love wasn't dramatic.

It wasn't possessive.

It was steady.

Quiet.

Unwavering.

They also showed me something I'll never forget.

They don't howl because they're lonely.

They howl because they're connected.

To one another.

To the land.

To Spirit.

Standing among them, listening to those voices rise into the air, I realized I had misunderstood something.

Being wild isn't the opposite of love.

Sometimes it's simply another way of belonging.

Those wolf dogs changed the way I see wolves.

More importantly...

They changed the way I see relationships.

Strength doesn't have to be loud.

Leadership doesn't require domination.

And the deepest connections are often built through trust, cooperation, and honoring something larger than ourselves.

Every time I leave ROAM, I carry one thought with me.

These remarkable animals don't need us to romanticize them.

They need us to understand them.

And perhaps...

We need them just as much.

You May Be Wondering...

Are wolf dogs good pets?

Wolf dogs are extraordinary animals, but they are not the right companion for most households. Their needs, instincts, and behaviors are very different from those of typical dogs. Sanctuaries like ROAM exist because so many wolf dogs are purchased without understanding what they truly require. One of the greatest ways we can honor these animals is by respecting who they are rather than trying to make them fit into our lives.

May you see the world through the eyes of love, remembering that we are all part of one living, sacred whole.