Leo

Born on December 1, 2004
Arrived at Mission: Wolf on February 26, 2006
Passed away on October 18, 2012

Sex: Male
Lived with Luna

Did you know? It takes $3,000 a year just to feed and care for one of our wolves. By giving $5 or more a month, you can take a wolf to dinner by becoming a Wolf Caretaker

Leo’s story

Leo was born in the Spring of 2005 and came to Mission: Wolf at the age of eight months, after being rescued from the Dumb Friends League shelter in Denver. Leo’s leg was broken during an escape attempt from his owner’s friend’s house. The owner could not afford the $5000 surgery to repair the bone, so she took Leo to the shelter and passed him off as a Malamute mix breed.

Dumb Friends League accepted Leo, but the vet and the administrators soon realized that he was not just a Malamute mix. They called Mission: Wolf, and the staff went to visit Leo. We found him with his leg still in the splint after his surgical repair. On evaluation, we decided that Leo was at least part wolf, since he had several wolf characteristics: very long legs, a narrow chest and slanted forehead. But he acted like a dog: the shelter did reveal that Leo had passed their behavior test and was a very pleasant animal, but they could not adopt out a wolf-dog mix. Leo’s former owner admitted that he was part wolf, which meant that he would be destroyed.

The staff decided that Leo should live at Mission: Wolf, with many other animals like himself. We had been looking for a mate for another wolf-dog named Luna, and Leo fit the bill. Once he was healed enough from the surgery, he was released and came to live at Mission: Wolf. Luna found him irresistible. They were placed at the Mission: Wolf Farm, where they lived happily under Tracy’s watchful eye. Thanks to the shelter and friends, Leo spent his life contentedly playing in the sun with Luna.