A crooked smile, a clownish sense of humor, and a coyote

Cedar (formly Donner)

A crooked smile, a clownish sense of humor, and a coyote howling somewhere beyond the fence line all found their way into my inbox yesterday.

The message came from Isabella, who took home one of our pups a while back. Some of you may remember him by his litter name, Donner.

His family now calls him Cedar, and from everything she described, the name seems to fit him like an old trail companion who has finally grown into his paws.

Cedar has settled into his human pack in the way every breeder quietly hopes for when a young pup leaves the den.

Isabella’s note was so vivid that I wanted you to experience it, too.

Hello Jennifer, and Jay,

I hope all is well with you.

I just wanted to let you know that Cedar (formerly Donner) has been a wonderful addition to our family.

He was neutered a couple of months ago, which has made him a bit calmer and more focused. When we picked him up, he had a chip on one of his lower canines, but it didn’t seem to be bothering him and his initial vet visit said it looked fine. Later during his neuter surgery they found an abscess so we had the tooth removed and he has a silly crooked smile now that suits him quite well.

After reading Paul Revere’s description, I couldn’t believe how similar Cedar is sometimes. I suppose that is probably where he got it. We call his bouts of goofiness “being a clown” and for a while it was confusing to Zach why he does this. I think it’s part of his wanting to make everyone happy and it’s a clumsy attempt at breaking any tension. He’s actually quite self aware, but I don’t think it comes across that way to people who are less familiar with how dogs communicate. But now that we all understand one another, we can laugh at his silly jokes and have plenty of patience for him to be done and move on.

We didn’t hear him bark until about a month into having him. He saw a coyote and alerted to it. Since then he has had a really great sense of when something is worth barking at and I can trust his intuition about the people he meets. I think you are right, that he would try to scare off a bear – hopefully such a situation never arises.

He is such a great dog! Everyone who meets him can’t believe how calm and sweet he is. He really likes playing with other dogs, maybe even a little bit too much sometimes. He still doesn’t understand that some dogs are aggressive, he thinks they all just want to play with him. We let him take his time learning obedience (you have to with no food motivation) and he’s mastered the basics at this point. He is a really great example of a dog that likes having both positive and negative reinforcement, he really is happy to receive both. He does show a bit of aptitude for tracking scents so I am going to start introducing some basic scent identification games and see how he does with it. I think he would also like dock diving, but that’s a bit harder to find a good setup to try it out.

His favorite activities are cuddling on the couch, going for runs, and chasing tennis balls. We threw a ball for the first time and he had fetched it before any of us knew what was happening. He has a really great on and off switch for his drive. He can run without ever getting tired but he can also curl up at your feet all day. He’s happiest when he gets to do lots of both.

I make pretty much all of his food. Not always raw meat because sometimes it’s extra from meals I’m cooking for the rest of us to eat too (and I don’t entirely trust meat that has been handled at a grocery store). He would probably do anything in the whole world for a bite of roast chicken. For a couple weeks, we switched back to kibble (for convenience during a visit with family) and it was so noticeable how much it affected his fur and skin. He had very itchy spots, his fur got lots of dander and wasn’t shedding properly. As soon as we went back to feeding him real food, he went back to normal again. That convinced the family members we were staying with to switch to a raw diet for their three dogs, whose health have all improved since making the switch. People can choose whether to believe you and the things you say about dog nutrition, but I’ve seen enough backing your claims at this point that it’s not even a question in my mind.

Cedar is always happy, even when being scolded, and tends to be quite calm. He just likes being beside you, watching whatever you are doing, very much a velcro dog. He loves to be praised and we tell him every day that he is good and that we love him.

Wishing you luck with all those cute puppies!

When I finished reading Isabella’s note, I sat back for a moment picturing Cedar with that crooked grin, clowning around in the living room in an attempt to smooth over the emotional weather of the pack.

Some of you will appreciate the family resemblance.

Cedar is Paul Revere’s sire, and it seems his son inherited more than a little of that playful instinct from his father.

I love a dog that senses tension in the room and decides that a ridiculous antic might restore balance has a certain kind of wisdom about him.

While I was still smiling over Cedar’s crooked grin, another development unfolded in the Seacrest Wolf Preserve situation that I had not expected.

You may remember that earlier this week I told you about the wolves at Seacrest Wolf Preserve who face immediate eviction from the only home they have known.

The situation is literally life or death for these captive wolves.

They currently only have until March 15th to comply with the judge’s order to vacate or all of the captive wolves will be euthanized on site.

This seems completely ludicrous to me.

Especially when all they need is a little more time to be able to safely comply.

So, I wrote a formal letter to the judge presiding over the case on behalf of Seacrest Wolf Preserve.

I pray he sees reason and extends their time for compliance.

The Honorable Judge Colby Peel

Washington County Courthouse

Chipley, Florida

Re: Seacrest Wolf Preserve Relocation Timeline

Your Honor,

I write to you respectfully as the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Dire Wolf Project, an organization devoted to the responsible stewardship and breeding of fully domesticated companion canids inspired by the extinct, prehistoric dire wolf. Through our work in canine genetics, breeding ethics, and animal welfare, we remain in regular communication with members of the captive wolf and wolfdog sanctuary community across the United States, including facilities that care for animals who cannot safely return to the wild.

For that reason, the situation presently facing Seacrest Wolf Preserve has drawn the attention and concern of many within our community alongside animal welfare and sanctuary groups.

From the information that has been publicly shared, it appears the court has issued a twenty day eviction order requiring Seacrest to vacate the property on which their sanctuary has operated for more than two decades. We understand that the court must uphold the law and that Seacrest Wolf Preserve no longer has the legal authority to remain on the property owned by the landholder. This letter is not intended to challenge that ruling, nor to dispute the rights of the property owner.

Rather, I write to respectfully request that the court consider granting additional time for compliance with the order so that the wolves currently housed at Seacrest can be relocated safely and humanely.

The relocation of captive wolves is not a simple process. These animals require specialized containment fencing, reinforced enclosure structures, and careful transport protocols to ensure both public safety and the welfare of the animals themselves. Materials for proper wolf containment fencing must be ordered and delivered, and new enclosures must be constructed before relocation can occur. These steps cannot be completed responsibly within a matter of only a few days.

My understanding is that Seacrest has already secured land on which the wolves can be relocated and that funding has been raised to construct appropriate enclosures. The remaining obstacle appears to be time. A reasonable extension would allow the sanctuary to obtain the specialized materials required and to move the animals in a controlled and humane manner.

Without such time, the likely outcome is that wolves who have lived under human care for many years may face euthanasia simply because there was not enough time to complete the logistical steps necessary to move them.

From both an ethical and practical standpoint, this would be a tragic result. These animals are not wild wolves capable of dispersing into surrounding wilderness. They have lived their entire lives within a managed sanctuary environment and depend on human caretakers for their survival. Their fate rests entirely in human hands.

Courts often carry the responsibility of balancing the strict application of law with the broader consequences of enforcement. In this instance, granting a reasonable extension would not change the legal outcome of the case, nor would it undermine the rights of the property owner. It would simply allow the sanctuary sufficient time to comply with the court's order in a way that preserves the lives of the animals involved.

The Dire Wolf Project, along with many individuals within the captive wolf and wolfdog community, supports the effort to relocate these animals safely. Many of our supporters are also following the situation closely and stand ready to assist the sanctuary relocation efforts however possible.

Your Honor, if there exists an opportunity to prevent the unnecessary loss of these animals simply by allowing additional time for proper relocation, I respectfully urge the court to consider that option.

Thank you for your time and for your consideration of this request.

Respectfully,

Jennifer Stoeckl

Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer

Dire Wolf Project, Inc.

DireWolf Dogs of Vallecito, LLC

Sometimes the best thing a pack can do is raise its voice together when a decision will determine the future of animals who cannot influence the outcome themselves.

We will keep watching the horizon for news from Florida.

And here at the den, life continues in its steady rhythm.

Fourteen Big Dog pups are now rushing toward the gate with tails wagging every time they hear it squeak.

Candy Crush puppies are wobbling confidently now and ready to begin eating real food.

Little Valentine and Amore remain tucked beneath Yeti’s watchful chin with round milk bellies and perfectly content expressions.

It is a curious world we share with captive animals, isn’t it?

Some stand on the edge of courtrooms and eviction orders.

Others curl beside their human companions with tennis balls and crooked smiles.

That contrast has a way of reminding me why the Dire Wolf Project™ walks this particular trail.

If you have been quietly considering whether an American Dirus™ dog companion might belong in your home range, applications are now open once again.

You can begin here:

direwolfproject.com/puppy-application

Jennifer Stoeckl is the co-founder of the Dire Wolf Project, founder of the DireWolf Guardians American Dirus Dog Training Program, and owner/operator of DireWolf Dogs of Vallecito. She lives in the beautiful inland northwest among the Ponderosa pine forests with her pack of American Dirus dogs.