2008 — 2020
Bear
Born in 2008, Bear was originally purchased as a puppy from an "online breeder" in California. He was labeled as a husky/malamute cross. Transported to Massachusetts at a young age, his life as a statistic began in a small apartment in Revere MA. At just a few months of age, neighbors began complaining about Bear's instinct to howl. While his owner was at work, Bear was all alone and left to his own devices. After several phone calls to the landlord, the Environmental Police were contacted, realized Bear was in fact a wolf dog hybrid and gave a deadline to find Bear a home, or else he would face euthanasia. His owner got in touch with Wolf Hollow to inquire about potential placement for Bear.
At the time, three year old Osa had just been removed from the main enclosure: she was not getting along with her sister, Nina. Osa needed a companion and Bear would make a perfect friend for her to raise as her own.
Within no time, Bear and Osa became quite the pair. They were inseparable and clearly loved each other. Being a puppy, Bear was given the allowance to eat and receive human affection first, while Osa patiently waited. Bear was a fun, curious and energetic youngster. When he reached adulthood at two years of age, though still friendly and goofy, a more serious side of Bear had emerged. He became more wary of strangers, especially men. With staff and volunteers Bear was very loving and quite the flirt when it comes to the ladies.
Bear was an amazing ambassador for wolf dogs everywhere, showing visitors that they need expert care and attention, and do not make good pets. Lucky for us, and for Bear, we were able to give him a home and a companion. Many wolf dogs don't know a happy ending like Bear’s.
Beautiful boisterous Bear lived 12 years at Wolf Hollow, and passed surrounded by those who loved him in August of 2020.
A tribute to Bear, from volunteer Christine Anckner
A favorite with visitors and volunteers alike, he made an impression on everyone who met him. During presentations he inspired awed silence punctuated with murmurs like "look at him!" "isn't he beautiful?" "Look at those eyes!" and "Did you see the size of his feet?"
Behind the scenes, our handsome boy had all of the volunteers wrapped around his finger, or maybe his giant paw. He was especially fond of the female volunteers, and his goofy, charming personality made him a favorite of ours, too. A true “ladies man”, except he left a string of smiles instead of broken hearts in his wake.
Friendly and engaging, Bear loved being the center of attention. On many occasions he would use his body as an obstacle for volunteers trying to exit his enclosure, sometimes standing on his hind legs with one paw on the gate and the other on our shoulders. The gentleman demanded ear scratches, and who were we to deny him? No one ever complained about being hostage to Bear's whims; we'd do it all again and then some if it could buy us more time together.
Bear was special for so many reasons. Unlike our other ambassador wolves, Bear was a wolf/dog hybrid. Wolf-dogs are illegal to own in Massachusetts and we were contacted about being a potential placement for him when he was a puppy. Ordinarily this would not have been possible, but at the time, we had an adult wolf named Osa who was living in an enclosure by herself. When we found out Bear was only three months old, we realized we had an excellent opportunity to save his life and provide Osa with company. They were like peas and carrots, and lived together for 12 happy years.
We will never know for certain what the beginning of Bear's life looked like, but we know only too well how short and unhappy it might have been under other circumstances. With roughly 90% of hybrids euthanized by the age of two, we would tell visitors how lucky Bear was to be rescued, and praise him for enriching Osa's life with his companionship. We knew Osa needed him, but I don't think anyone could have predicted 12 years ago how much we would come to need him, too. He brought so much joy and love, I'll never know who was luckier, him or us. I do know how thankful we are for the opportunity we had to be his safe home. I know he will be missed, and above all I know he was deeply loved.
Goodnight, Sweet Prince.