It was in September of 1991 when I got a call from a woman saying her daughter had bought a wolfdog but had recently married and had brought it to her to care for. Seems the kid hadn’t thought past the end of her nose so now mom, who didn’t want a dog, especially a hybrid, to be responsible for was wanting to find someone to take her. I went to their place to see her and the next week, they brought her to my vet and paid to have her spayed. She was three years old at the time.

Ravenhawk proved to be a wonderful addition to our group. Although she had wolf in her, she was very nice but it was our policy not to put these animals up for adoption because she was part wolf. These magnificent animals were not meant to be pets. They are not able to be trained as you would a dog and are very strong willed. It is also against the law in most cities and towns to own a wolfdog and I did not want to promote the ownership of them in any way.

One day in 1998, I happened to notice Ravenhawk limping slightly on her left front leg. I took her to the vet and had the leg x-rayed but nothing showed up so we came home. The next week, I came home from a trip and she was not able to put any weight on the leg at all, in fact, it was hanging limp. Back to the vet we went. This time x-rays showed she had fractured it and would require external pins and brace until it healed. It also appeared that the bone in the leg shattered meaning even if the leg were pinned, there was a chance, she still wouldn’t be able to use it so we made the decision to amputate the leg at the shoulder. She came through the surgery with flying colors and recovered quickly. We still have no idea how she sustained the injury unless she stepped in a hole one of the dogs and dug. She doesn’t miss her leg at all and can do pretty much anything any other dog can do except dig holes. Our girl is getting on up in years now but she’s still healthy and happy. We look forward to having her with us for many years to come.

07/19/2003 - Update:  Ravenhawk has taken her place at the Rainbow Bridge with all the other wonderful animals who await us there.  Age had finally taken its toll ... she was having much difficulty getting around & seemed to have lost all desire to live.  She was humanely allowed a peaceful crossing in the arms of those who loved her.  She is being cremated & her ashes will be scattered in our Angels Rest section of the Sanctuary.