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Wolfpaws provides safe haven for wolf hybrids
By Michael Williams
Published March 26, 2023; 3:43 p.m.


Caring for wolf-dogs has its own challenges as Jennifer Ackley, founder and executive director of Wolf Paws, can attest. Ackley runs the wolf-dog sanctuary in Dandridge where twelve wolf-dog hybrids currently live in a secluded area to live out their lives free from the risk of abuse and neglect. Here they have ample space to run in large enclosures which they have a sense of freedom while under the watchful eye of their care takers.

wolf paws wolf dog sanctuary
Jennifer Ackley provides a small treat to Koko, a wolf-dog that was rescued by Wolf-Paws in Dandridge.


Wolf Paws (Positive Awareness Wolf-dog Sanctuary) was founded in 2013 to take in wolf-dogs that were bred under the romanticized guise that owning a wolf-dog is “like owning a piece of the wild.” Many buyers purchased the animals unaware of the challenges they would face in raising for such an animal. Ackley, who had experience with the breed adopted her first wolf-dog named Dakota in 2011.

According to Ackley the popularity of the breed was partially propelled by the TV series “Game of Thrones” in which they were erroneously depicted as guardians of children.

wolf paws wolf dog sanctuary
Caretakers Thomas Dunn and Aria Biehl pose with executive director of Wolf Paws Jennifer Ackley while Zeus, a wolf-dog rescue, looks on curiously. Behind the trio are a collection of banners recognizing generous donors that sponsored the wolf-dogs.


“Wolf-dogs do not make good pets,” said Ackley. “The are naturally distrustful of people and do not do well inside a home. They don’t like to be confined and they will become destructive. They are difficult to train and you can train a wolf to do what a wolf wants to do when they want to do it. They are apex predators.”

Wolf-Paws has six enclosures providing homes to twelve wolf-dogs. Each enclosure measures at least half an acre. This provides the animals ample space for exercise.

One of the canine residents of the facility is Zeus, who tips the scale at 110 pounds. Zeus was seven weeks old when he was purchased by his former owner from a breeder. Soon afterwards the owner realized he had a problem as Zeus began to damage the owner’s home. Zeus came to live at Wolf-Paws where he resides in an enclosure with a female named Venus. All the wolf-dogs are spayed and neutered when they arrive in an ongoing effort to control the population. Wolf-Paws was established to provide these unwanted animals a safe place to live out their lives.


Wolves and wolf-dogs are by nature social animals so providing them companionship is essential for their well being. As Ackley explains they are escape artists making it necessary to take precautions above and beyond that of ordinary dogs. All enclosures have fences that are eight feet. Wolf-dogs can jump as high as eight feet. So, to prevent an escape, the fence has barbed wire along the tops that is slanted inward to prevent the crafty canines from making a break for the forest that surrounds the facility. In addition, wolf-dogs are are tenacious diggers. To prevent them from digging their way out a dig guard extends four feet into the ground beneath the large fence. Theses measures have resulted in no escapes from the facility.

wolf paws koko
Koko is one of twelve wolf-dogs that resides at the Wolf-Paws sanctuary in Dandridge.


When new wolf-dogs are brought to the facility their DNA is tested to determine how much wolf DNA each animal possesses. Most are between 45-75% pure wolf. Their backgrounds are as varied as their DNA. They came to the sanctuary from across the country.

“Venus is from Wyoming, where owning wolf-dogs is illegal,” said Ackley. “We had a large black wolf-dog named Bear. He came from Knoxville where he had little access to food and water.”

Rarely does Wolf-Paws adopt the canines out. Bear was adopted out to a woman in California who had experience with wolf-dogs and paid to have the animal trasported. There he was placed in an enclosure with a female companion. Owning and breeding wolf-dogs is illegal in most states.

Wolf-Paws is a not-for-profit agence that receives no government funding. As such it relies on donations from donors as well as other methods to raise money and awareness of the plight of the animals.

“We are always seeking cash donations as well as food donations” said Ackley. “If someone is cleaning out their freezer and has some meat they want to dispose of we could use it. We prefer the meat to be raw. We enourage hunters who have a deer of other animal meat that they would like to donate to contact us.”

Additionally, the sanctuary sells sponsorships of each wolf-dog. For an annual fee of $250 the donor will have his name and the name of the wolf-dog they sponsored prominently displayed on the enclosure. Staff members of the facility regularly collect clumps of wolf-dog hair from the enclosures. The hair is known as chiengora and is highly sought after to make garments, a practice that goes back centuries. The chiengora is used to make gloves, scarves and jewelry. These items are sold by Wolf-Paws at events and on their website.

Wolf Paws provides private tours of the facility by appoinment. Anyone seeking to make a donation can visit the website www.wolfpaws.org.

 















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