Cochrane’s Wolfdog Sanctuary
If you grew up in the 90s or early 2000s you were hit with a lot of dog loving movies: All Dogs Go to Heaven, 101 Dalmatians, Homeward Bound, and of course Balto. The fictionalised retelling of the life-saving sled run of diphtheria antitoxin to Nome Alaska, saving it and its surrounding communities from diphtheria outbreak in 1925. Taking one of the heroic sled dogs, purebred husky Balto, and turning him into a lovable wolfdog.
But what are they if not just an animated hero for kids to root for?
Wolfdogs
According to Yamnuska:
“Wolfdogs are the result of people intentionally breeding them. Today, they typically come to be when a wolfdog is bred with another wolfdog or dog, and doesn’t usually involve a pure wolf parent. They are usually bred by backyard breeders as exotic pets in order to make a profit. However, there are a very limited number of breeders who breed them to ‘better’ the breed and produce an offspring with very particular physical and behavioural characteristics.
Wolfdog traits can vary dramatically between individual wolfdogs due to the degree of wolf content bred into the animal, the dog breeds bred into the animal, and the kind of socialization the animal received at a young age. Typical wolfdog characteristics, of varying degrees are: fearfulness of humans, high prey drive, high energy, territorial, destructive, extremely independent, and being escape artists.”
All this to say that they aren’t exactly the ideal family pet, but that doesn’t mean you have to say goodbye to the love of these fantastic animals buoyed by youthful adoration. If you were one of those kids, or you just enjoy learning about and seeing floofy murder puppies, check out the Yamnuska Wolfdog Sanctuary just a 16 minutes drive west of Cochrane off Highway 1A.
The Sanctuary
Started in 2011, “the Sanctuary was created to drive public awareness and education surrounding wolfdogs and wolves in the wild.” With goals including reducing backyard breeding, education, and wolf conservation, the Sanctuary currently has a pack of canines with varying wolf content levels situated on 160 acres of land.
Visiting
Yamnuska has strict rules about visitors’ behaviour due to the sensitive nature of the animals they host. No smoking, no unruly or overly loud behaviour (from anyone of any age), and no pets or animals of any kind!
And yes, that includes leaving an animal in your vehicle. They will call Cochrane Animal Control to have your dog removed. They aren’t kidding around.
“You are visiting a sanctuary, not a zoo, and our top priority is to protect the wellbeing of our wolfdogs. Many of our rescued wolfdogs have had negative experiences with humans prior to arriving at the sanctuary and therefore can be quite fearful of certain smells, sounds, and objects.” – Yamnuska Sanctuary Rules
Disobeying their rules will have you asked to leave immediately, no exceptions, no second chances. So just act respectfully, and acknowledge that entrance is a privilege not a right.
Offering 3 different tours, the minimum age a visitor can be is 6 years old, and you can enjoy a self-guided, guided, or educational and interactive walk through the Sanctuary. Depending on your choice you can view the pack, ask an expert questions, and even meet the pups face-to-face. Check out detailed explanations of their differences here
You can also take a walk through their visitor centre, check out extra resources, or grab some swag with all proceeds going straight to caring for the dogs and supporting rescues (yes they also rescue animals, and even offer adoptions provided you meet the right criteria).
Accessibility
Currently, the Yamnuska Sanctuary pathways are wheelchair-friendly. With the interactive tour not wheelchair/walker/cart accessible (however, best to call ahead if you’re concerned). And that rule about dogs mentioned above extends to service dogs, as they would negatively impact the wolfdogs, and probably stress your pup out too.
This can be a great day trip if you’re canine-inclined and it’s a great way to support local wildlife preservation and protection! (Plus, they’re just really cute okay, how can you resist)
(All images and resources from https://www.yamnuskawolfdogsanctuary.com/ )