It started with a puddle.
By Jennifer Stoeckl, MAT - Dire Wolf Project CEO, June 9, 2025
It started with a puddle.
But not just any puddle.
And not the usual kind that comes with a puppy learning the ropes of house training, either.
Oh, no.
This puddle appeared beneath a 5-month-old American Dirus male, born of nobility.
Cookie Monster and Galena,
legends in their own right.
The black pup with silver undertones and striking yellow eyes had never soiled his den before.
Not once.
But now, the wet returned each day.
Then at night.
Then in his sleep.
His tail seemed like it was always damp.
In the mornings his bed felt wet.
The little guy didn't act sick.
He didn’t seem in pain.
But something was off.
And the signs were whispering louder by the day.
His owner did everything right.
Changed diets.
Ruled out infections.
Tested for crystals.
Nothing helped.
That’s when the call came in.
The owner reached out to me - desperate, tired, and uncertain.
And that’s when I knew.
I knew before he even finished describing the symptoms, because I’ve seen this before.
Too many times now.
In the deep, winding history of the Dire Wolf Project, this rare condition has shadowed a few lines.
It is quiet, sneaky, and invisible to the naked eye.
Until the symptoms begin.
So, I advised one final test.
An ultrasound that would peer into the shadows of his bowels.
And what they found…
Well, let’s just say—this is the part you’ll want to read for yourself.
Because this story goes far deeper than this one pup.
It stretches through bloodlines, across years, and into the future of our breed.
But it is too lengthy to reveal here.
The full story—every detail of the vet visit, the ultrasound, the diagnosis, and what this means for the American Dirus breed—has just been added to the…
Dire Wolf Project’s
LEARNISTIC app.
And after reading it, you’ll never look at a puppy puddle the same way again.
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If you already have the Learnistic app on your phone, good for you!
All you have to do is:
- Open the Dire Wolf Project’s Learnistic app,
- Click on “Crafting the Dire Wolf”,
- Go to “Health Testing 101”, and
- Select the “Ectopic Ureters” topic.
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If you have not yet downloaded the FREE Dire Wolf Project app where all of the most involved Inner Circle members have access to more in depth topics within the Dire Wolf Project, click the button below:
P.S. I must MANUALLY invite you to the app because you need to receive a unique code specific to you in order to gain access to the content within the app… so please allow me some time to do that after you’ve clicked the link above.
MOVIE MONDAY!
This week’s movie features our newest pack members…
the Happy Days Litter!
Their story will go down in Dire Wolf Project history.
So touching.
So sweet.
ENJOY!
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.