The Case of the Vanishing Applicants
By Jennifer Stoeckl, MAT - Dire Wolf Project CEO, June 25, 2025
The wind howls across the frozen steppe as silhouettes of dire wolves prowl the ridgeline.
The scent of ancient purpose is thick in the air.
And then, you here footsteps in the crusted snow.
A new human appears in the distance.
Their eyes are bright.
They have a heart full of hope.
And what’s that in their hand?
A parchment identifying all their dreams and hopes for the future.
They’ve heard the howls and want to join our legacy.
They want… a puppy.
And not just any puppy. A living link to the Ice Age.
An American Dirus™ dog.
So the applications come pouring in, earnest, hopeful, and sometimes borderline poetic.
These potential puppy parents speak of their calm homes, their wide yards, their deep longing to welcome a special creature into their lives.
Some even share tales of past companions that’ve left indelible pawprints on their hearts.
Jody-Lynn, our loyal executive assistant, reads every word.
She doesn’t skim.
Instead, she studies.
She pores over each application like a paleontologist reading cave paintings by torchlight.
And then, when the stars align and the references check out, she stamps them with the most coveted verdict we can give:
Approved!
An official welcome email is sent.
It’s exciting, heartfelt, and gives clear instructions on how to claim a place in our living legacy by placing a deposit within 24 hours.
And then…
Silence.
No reply.
No deposit.
Not even a, "Thanks, but I've joined a Himalayan goat yoga commune instead."
Just cold, creeping silence.
They literally vanish into the digital snow,
like footprints covered by a sudden flurry.
Gone, as if they were never there at all.
Here’s the part that bites:
In the past three months, we’ve approved 26 applicants, but only 4 placed their deposit.
That’s 6.5% of the approved applicants who actually followed through.
The other 93.5% feel like echoes in a blizzard.
Do you know how demoralizing that is?
You spend hours combing through their stories, imagining them holding one of our pups.
Thinking, “Yes. This one could be a good packmate.”
Only to have them vanish like a mastodon in the LaBrea tarpits.
I bet we could make a nature documentary out of it:
The Tragic Migration of the Non-Committal Human:
A Cautionary Tale
(Narrated by David Attenborough, obviously.)
And yet, amidst the snow-blind silence... there you were.
Because if you’re already on our waiting list, you didn’t just apply.
You earned your place.
You crossed the glacier, paid your deposit, and showed up.
That makes you one of the top 3% of all applicants!
That’s rarer than a dire wolf letting a coyote take the first bite.
You didn’t just say you wanted to be part of this legacy…
You proved it!
That makes you not just a packmate, but the carrier of an important legacy.
A legend in the making.
And legends deserve a place at the front of the pack.
Which is why I’ve spent my entire weekend (and, let’s be honest, a chunk of Monday I can never get back) revamping and re-illuminating the Happy Days Litter page.
Yes, it’s finally updated. And it’s glorious.
- Temperament testing is done
- New puppy photos uploaded
- Pricing added
- Structure, flow, and polish—all there
- My sanity? Questionable. But worth it.
This puppy page is like a treasure map carved in ancient bone.
Each detail is a clue, while each photo is a trail marker.
And somewhere on that map may be the little soul you’re meant to walk this earth beside.
Go ahead. Imagine the pawprints on your floor.
Or the calm, intelligent eyes watching you as you read this email.
Think about the bond that goes deeper than words.
Because you’ve already proven you belong in the pack.
Now you just have to find the pup who’s been tracking you all along.
But for now… be sure to keep the firelight in the den and the wind at your back!
===
P.S. If you're not on the waiting list yet just know:
- We don’t chase.
- We don’t beg.
- We don’t resurrect ghost applicants from the freshly fallen snow.
We simply move forward—with the few bold enough to walk beside us.
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.