Dixie was one of our largest undertakings for 2022. They say somethings happen for a reason and we can say with absolute surety without intervention Dixie would have suffered a terrible fate. A fate that is not uncommon for wolfdog mixes. Many of the individuals that get wolfdogs are not prepared for the reality of owning a creature like them. These canines are mixes of domestic dogs with wolf DNA. Their content or percentage of wolf can vary greatly. Thus, the behaviors can be difficult to predict and their suitability for living as a domestic canine is not always possible. It requires very diligent and constant work starting at a very early age typically within the first few days of birth. These canine mixes are also not legal to own in every location making it additionally challenging where they can be housed and what laws must be followed regarding them. As such euthanasia or death is often the fate of these animals. Fortunately for Dixie this was not to be her fate. Below is the full story of Dixie and her amazing transformation. 

We were notified of Dixie's existence and given some information about the conditions she was being kept in. Given her age and living conditions, time became critical. Plans were quickly put into place to get her into our care. Our director drove to rescue Dixie and discovered things were more dire than what we were led to believe. As these things often occur with rescue cases, it was not too much of a surprise for us. However, there were a lot of things that needed to be done quickly if she was to have any chance at a good quality of life. Dixie came into our care at 11 weeks of age but prior to that her story is a sad cautionary tale of just how wrong things can go for a wolfdog. 

Dixie prior to coming into our care at 10 weeks.

Dixie's story began with a breeder that we were never able to uncover. The breeder of the litter of wolfdog pups did not even know that their intact female was pregnant and expecting a litter. Dixie's mom was left running loose in a pen with two intact males and the breeder did not take any precautions to prevent an unwanted litter. In a tale as old as time, with two intact canines it didn't take long before Dixie's mother was pregnant. Then to compound the issue the "breeder" didn't discover the puppies had been born until the puppies were already 4 weeks old, which for wolfdog pups is severely detrimental to their socialization to humans. Upon discovering the puppies, the breeder did start some socialization for the pups, but the damage had already been started. The breeder then continued to make a bad situation worse, by adopting the puppies out to adopters that were not prepared for raising a wolfdog that did not get a proper start. Dixie's adopter was young and inexperienced. They quickly found themselves overwhelmed with her behaviors and destruction of the house. Dixie was relegated to an outdoor pen because of the indoor destruction. It was there that Dixie was introduced to an adult male German Shepherd. The German Shepherd did not get along with Dixie and quickly conditions continued to deteriorate for her. The adopters knew that they were ill-equipped to handle Dixie and that rehoming her became the best option for her. 

It was at this point that Dixie transferred into our care. When we got Dixie, she was emaciated and clearly had a respiratory infection. She had not received any veterinary care. She was covered in clay mud and had vomited once a moderately large volume of clay/dirt up without any signs of food present. We were concerned for Dixie and her chance of survival given her overall body condition. She was quickly rushed to a vet first thing and started on some high-quality food. Dixie was started on antibiotics for the respiratory infection and also given dewormer and core vaccines. While normally we would not recommend vaccinating an animal if they are sick in Dixie's 

case there was a high concern that she could have been exposed to deadly viruses by being unvaccinated. Thus, the decision was made to start her vaccines to hopefully prevent any conditions from developing. Dixie was given 24 hours to start decompressing from all the changes taking place. Unfortunately, Dixie was not able to enjoy more time relaxing since she was so poorly socialized to humans that we had to jump right in with desensitizing her to humans and start gaining her trust. 

Dixie during her first full day with us.

During her first day it became quite evident just how poorly socialized to humans Dixie had been. She wanted nothing to do with humans and was terrified of us. Dixie tried her best to hide in the grasses in the opposite corner of the secure pen we had for her outside. Dixie would urinate or defecate on us sometimes both whenever we had to pick her up to move her between the outdoors and inside. The only time Dixie showed any interest in anything was when she saw the other dogs in the household. She would still remain flat to the ground, but she would follow them with her eyes and watch what they were doing. Based upon these behaviors we knew we had to intervene fast if there was a chance that Dixie could be socialized to humans enough to at least allow basic interactions let alone be able to live in a home. 

During the following week, Dixie was introduced to round the clock interaction with humans. We organized around the clock care for her and strict guidelines to focus on what tasks to accomplish with her during the day. It was an extremely labor-intensive time with little sleep occurring for her caretakers. We introduced Dixie to baths which she tolerated quite well. She was strictly hand-fed her meals learning to trust humans as the source of her food. She also gained confidence and stopped retreating into her shell. Her respiratory infection cleared up and her health improved. Dixie began gaining weight and showed a healthy appetite. Healthwise Dixie was recovering nicely. However, trust with humans was very slow to develop. Dixie instead began showing signs of wanting to bond to the dogs in the home rather than the humans. She would take food from us willingly but continued to display signs of tolerating us as necessary for her food rather than wanting to socialize with us. 

Dixie after one of her numerous baths

It became evident that even with the progress we were making that Dixie would never acclimate to living as a pet in a home. Her wolf traits were becoming more prominent the more we watched and analyzed her behavior. She thrived in the pack setting with the other dogs and was learning to play with the dogs. She learned to play and explore toys. Dixie was even learning to not soil her house and by extension us, which we were quite glad of. She learned to trust her caretakers to bathe her and feed her. Where she really thrived though was in the pack setting with the other dogs. When removed from the pack she would retreat some and minimally engage with us. Thus, the decision was made to start exploring placement options for her. Dixie had shown us that she would never do well in a home environment with all the conditions that a domesticated canine would be expected to be able to handle. 

During the ongoing several weeks we continued socialize Dixie, while searching for the most ideal situation for her. There were plenty of people who stated that they were interested in her, but we were searching for very specific criteria to meet her needs. We also had to ensure that she would get continued veterinary care, someone familiar with wolfdog behavior, accepting of limitations Dixie would be behaviorally, and who would be a permanent placement for her. Dixie continued receiving veterinary care with us during that time including more vaccines and deworming, flea & tick prevention, and heartworm prevention. We also went one step further and started running a DNA test to determine her exact make up to further help provide insight into her behavior and assist with evaluating the best decision for her. Dixie continued to gain weight and started filling out. She finally began to look like a healthy pup, albite very much with some percentage of wolf in her.

Finally, after much searching and deliberating an organization was found that was willing to take Dixie in and provide her lasting placement. The one setback was that organization was located in Alabama. We were unable to view the facility in person prior to placing her with them. However, we researched the organization as much as possible eventually settled on Tigers for Tomorrow as Dixie's final home. They offered to meet us partway, but it was decided to drive her all the way to Alabama and see the sanctuary for ourselves and ensure that she was going to a safe and permanent home. It would be a 9-hour drive one way to bring Dixie and involve two time zones. However, it would be worth it to provide her with the ideal environment. Tigers for Tomorrow had recently taken in several other wolfdog pups around Dixie's age and the facility was well equipped to handle a pup that preferred to be with the pack instead of humans. 

Dixie loaded up for her car ride to Alabama

Thus, preparations began to get underway to bring Dixie to Alabama. A group would drive together trading off driving to make the long drive to Tigers for Tomorrow. Dixie had finally become old enough for a Rabies vaccine as well. Thus, another trip to the veterinary hospital was needed to vaccinate her and receive a health certificate. Medical records were printed. Forms were signed and documented. Copies were made of everything, and supplies were gathered for the trip. The group set out at 4:30am to Alabama with Dixie secured in her crate. It was decided that she was too much of a flight risk to take out at rest stops for potty breaks, so the fastest route was taken. After a grueling 10 hours the group made it to Alabama and Tigers of Tomorrow. A tour was taken of the facility and the humans in the group were introduced to the wolfdog pups who Dixie would eventually be introduced to. After, reviewing the facility and talking further with Tigers for Tomorrow, it was determined that it would be the most ideal location for Dixie to reside. All doubts were alleviated and concerns were put to rest. 

To this day we remain in contact with Tigers for Tomorrow and receive regular updates on Dixie and how she is doing. Dixie has managed to integrate into their wolfdog pack with the pups. She remains wary of humans but will tolerate handling when she must. Dixie has continued to flourish and grown into a beautiful adult wolfdog. We also got her DNA test results back. She is 48.1% Gray Wolf and 34.6% German Shepherd Dog along with some other breeds. Those tests results informed us that there was less wolf in her than first thought. However, it highlights the importance of socializing puppies when they are young even for domesticated canines. It also gave further insight into her behavior and confirmation that placing her in a sanctuary setting was the best thing that could have been done for her. We will forever be grateful to Tigers for Tomorrow being able to take Dixie into their program. Dixie continues to do wonderfully there and has grown into a beautiful adult wolfdog. Her tale though remains one of caution and a reminder of what could have happened if all the groups and individuals involved in her care were not able to orchestrate things in her favor to set her up for a successful and happy future. 

Dixie at Tigers for Tomorrow