TWDPC Spring Bark!!

Well the 2010 Spring Bark!! event hosted by The Woodlands Dog Park Club was a howling success for all.

After their 2009 Paws with Claus event was first frozen-out, then rained-out, luck shined on Spring Bark!! with a typical Texas spring day that started off cool & overcast threatening rain then broke into beautiful sunshine & blue skies for the afternoon.

There were many activities and events for the attendees in addition to the many rescue groups' & vendors' booths.

The volunteers who hosted the SFWS had an to opportunity to meet many new friends, distribute SFWS brochures, talk about the sanctuary, the wolves & wolf dogs, and inform them about the educational programs, the community outreach programs and the Boy & Girl Scouts projects that are all part of what SFWS is doing beyond rescuing abused & neglected animals.

Of special interest to all was the presence of Timber, a wolf dog hybrid who was rescued & rehablilitated by a volunteer. As you can see from the photo, she took everything in stride and must have been petted & loved on by 100 kids!

March-April 2010 Newsletter from Jean

I truly LIKE writing to friends and family, but what happens to TIME? We all know it does not exist, so why do we continue to try and find it? The (minor) injury to my index finger of the right hand still presents a problem, so I continue to type all my letters - if ONLY I could type with more than one finger on each hand! . Mystery is now knows as ‘Fingers’‘ she and I are Blood Sisters. She is not vicious , but enjoys finger food treats- and does not distinguish between a finger and a treat; with jaws that operate at 1,700 lbs to the inch, it is a real Snip!

The pups have Grown. Rom likes to greet his friends by taking their forearm in his mouth as he walks with you. He is very gentle and, like the other two Pups, is tall enough to put his paws on shoulders. They love visitors. However, When it rains, their pen is muddy and so are the pups hence our ‘designer shirts’! We have lots of (very welcome) visitors; just a gentle reminder, we do not have any paid staff, and are all volunteers. From a practical point of view, we cannot be open 24/7! Appointments are not needed between 9-11 am on Saturdays and there are sometimes a lot of visitors and less time for us to spend with them in a more personal way. A few weeks ago we had a group of Bikers, several Scouts and some ‘drop in’ visitors. It was fun (they were all VERY nice people), but it was “busy” to say the least.

We have a nice acknowledgment of our work in a book called “Down From the Mountain” by James MacCall. He also includes us in the general context of the book , and closes with the Game Ranger saying they have been able to relocate hundreds of coyotes, foxes and wolves at our Sanctuary in Montgomery, Texas. We appreciate this, and wish it could be true! We must hope people separate facts from fiction!

I also received a delightful book - “Little Fur Visits the Wolves” by Isabell Carmody. A delight to all ages! I now have the four Little Fur books, and wish “Little Fur” would come to Texas!! Of course, there may be some immigration problems - Little Fur is the daughter of an Elf and a Troll. She is about three feet tall, and has long hair and pointed ears, and devotes her life to helping animals, and helping Mother Earth. I wish I could make time to write a book about OUR animals, and the wonderful volunteers and supporters who enable us to help so many PEOPLE, as well as our beloved wolves ... and other animals. A few days ago, there was a call for assistance from one of the volunteers - Joni - when we reached the enclosure in which she was working, she was climbing the ten foot chain link fence - not easy, and somewhat disconcerting to the four wolves who watched her from opposite sides of the high fence. A squirrel nest had blown down on top of the fencing and she was checking for any babies. She landed safely, with a TINY baby squirrel tucked in her shirt. The little eyes were still closed, and she (the squirrel, not Joni) was barely three inches long, eyes still closed and not a hair in sight. Of course, we all gathered round to admire our new baby, and in no time at all, a ‘nesting’ box had been put together, complete with heating pad, and nailed to a ‘safe’ area in case the mother came for her baby. Mom did not come and Baby was brought inside. Meanwhile Joni contacted a veterinarian for advice.

At 8 p.m. my phone rang. It was a local Rehabilitator, who cares for squirrels and other small mammals. She had the right formula, and would come to collect our baby! Linked by a deep love for God’s creatures, we were instant friends as we handed over ‘our’ baby. Little squirrel, now called Roly-Poly due to a VERY good appetite, is now with three other baby squirrels, and receiving the best possible care. She owes her life to the courage of Joni, who climbed a ten foot chain link fence with wolves on both sides, rescued the baby squirrel and brought it safely down. I think the wolves knew what she was doing - they made no move to harm her, and this story has a happy ending ... because people care. People like you! Love, Blessings and Gratitude,

February 2010 Newsletter from Jean

A very special THANK YOU for your patience. It seems easier all round if I type my letters! My writing has not improved, and seems unlikely to do so - at least in this incarnation!


There is always so much I want to share, and am so grateful for all the help I receive, especially for the wolves. Incidently, we have a SUPER group of volunteers, without whom we could not exists - neither the wolves or me! I feel truly blessed by my family and friends.

The three pups continue to grow and seem to think that putting paws on human shoulders, and gazing into their eyes, will encourage more treats. Rom, in particular even tries to check out any pockets, in case something was overlooked. Koa is another who enjoys treats (as do they all) - and he has requested that we remember that he is NOT fat, merely somewhat ‘fluffy’.

Of course we miss Khan, as we miss all our beloved animals who have gone on before us, and whom we hope will be there to greet us when we join them. I know that some do not believe that animals “go to heaven” ... but most of us cannot envisage a ‘heaven’ without them. Perhaps we may take other ‘forms’ as we all evolve, but I believe that love is inclusive. Which reminds me! Language has always fascinated me; I did ‘literal translation’ for several years - I understand WHY we are told to translate INTO our first language, rather than out of it. Direct and literal translation is almost impossible - too many nuances - and totally different meanings.

According to Professor Lamsa , he found twelve thousand differences between the original Aramaic version of the Bible and that of the King James version. Most are not really important, but some are very different. I always had a problem with the part that says “Be ye perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect”. I regarded this as impossible! However, the alternative version is “Be ye INCLUSIVE, even as your Father in heaven is inclusive”. THIS I can understand! It would be so nice if we could all agree to differ, until such time as we really KNOW? So many unkind things are done in the name of religion. Another of my favorite quotes is from Buddhism, “I seek not to judge, but to understand”.

Being around animals makes this very valid. It appears that Scientists have now isolated some fifty ‘words’ used by wolves, that have actual meanings. Mwitu, my ‘House’ wolf, disagrees - she says they have hundreds. Certainly she has a large vocabulary, but she is a VERY pushy wolf. My Shiloh Shepherd is far more reserved, perhaps because he is more intelligent and knows when to keep quiet?

With so many animals, many of whom are VERY elderly, we often face the deep sense of loss when one of them leaves us. Our Lobo is far from fit, but he is not in pain, so much as restricted in his movements. He enjoys lots of extra cuddles, fuss and a wide variety of food to tempt his rather jaded palate. We are so very blessed by our volunteers, and also the very nice visitors who often take time to simply ‘be’ with the wolves.

Without you, we could not continue this work, which would mean the wolves could no longer do THEIR work. Yes, miracles continue to happen. We thank God, and we thank YOU! This brings much love, GRATITUDE, and Blessings. Mwitu, Shy-Shy, Ghostie, Lobo, Sable,Koa, TaLa, Remus, Luke, Spirit, Mystery, Yoda, Duchess, Rafiki, Romulus and Jean

Beginning 2010 Newsletter from Jean

Being ‘old’ (and old fashioned), I still prefer to write my letters by hand - Given fur or feathers, I can usually cope. Anything electrical seems break down - or just give up on me! However, I had an accident to my right hand. Holding a pen is awkward, and somewhat painful. The end result is also difficult, rather as if written using a friendly tarantula on a piece of string!!


All in all, I am using my computer for your sake as well as my own!

Words can never truly express my deep gratitude to you for your loving support. We see miracles here, miracles that you have made possible. The elderly lady who was blind (and was able to cuddle a wolf), and the abused children with ‘their’ wolf, remain among my fondest memories. Isn’t it ‘odd’ that a WOLF SANCTUARY is considered one of the few safe places to which these children can come and run about, as well as greet a wolf (or two!)?

The two pups, who were found chained - with neither food nor water - are amazing. They LOVE visitors. Romulus likes to greet people by holding their arm in his mouth - he is very gentle and we always explain BEFORE they go inside his enclosure. We are trying to train him not to jump up - he is already taller than am I! He is still with their adopted stepmother (Rafiki), and they are very happy. He was very much her favourite!

His brother, Remus, now shares with a newer wolf-pup - TaLa. They play together and are also very socialized.

We were very sad to lose our beloved Alpha Wolf - Khan. It was Khan and Mystery who started it all. They were both in extreme need, with nowhere to go - hence The Saint Francis Wolf Sanctuary. We opened of 4th. October (the Feast Day of Saint Francis), 2002.

Khan was very old, but we retained his title of Alpha Wolf (always feeding him first). I am not sure if you know his story? As we understand, his parents spent their lives chained to the wheel of a trailer. When he was weaned, he was put in a cage, and visitors were invited to poke him with a stick - “as he could not get at them”. One day he escaped. When they tried to catch him, to put back in the small cage, he bit several people. He was on Death Row - as was Mystery. Mystery was a free, wild wolf - caught in a trap. To release herself she bit her foot almost off. She was then shot. Someone found her and took her to a Vet.

Neither of these two had a place to go. It is now necessary to hold Federal and State Permits to have a wolf. I have both these as I already had a record of working with animals, plus a Federal Permit to work with Birds of Prey. Just a few weeks before the arrival of Mystery and Khan, a large organization opened a shelter for Raptores. This enabled me to hand over my aspect of the work with birds, just in time to take on wolves!!!

As you know, we are blessed by having some wonderful volunteers - and we ALL love ‘our’ wolves. We are also in awe at what THEY can do to help people. We can (an do) give of our services with no salary. However, they need to eat (rather a lot, and Vet fees are HIGH).

Bless you, and THANK YOU for making miracles happen - for animals AND people.

Monthly Newsletters from Jean

We will be posting the newsletters that Jean sends via email to the many SFWS contacts. Hope you will subscribe to receive them from our blog.

Following will be the three that she began as of 2010.

Welcome!

Welcome to our newsletter blog; more information coming soon.