Leo
Leo is a wolf/ malamute wolf-dog cross who was born in the spring of 2005. He was kept as a pet in a house outside of Denver until his leg was badly broken. His owner could not afford the $5,000 bill to have the bone surgically repaired, so she took Leo to an animal shelter and surrendered him.
The Denver “Dumb Friends League” and an area veterinarian worked together to donate the time and money for Leo’s surgery. As he was recovering at the shelter, people soon realized that he wasn’t just a malamute mix… he had some wolf ancestry. Once this was determined, the shelter could no longer adopt him out to the public, so they called Mission:Wolf for help. A few staff members visited Leo at the shelter and found him with his leg still in a splint. They decided that Leo was at least part wolf, since he had several wolf characteristics (very long legs, a narrow chest and slanted forehead), but he acted like a dog puppy. The shelter revealed that Leo had passed their behavior test and was a very pleasant animal, but that he would have to be euthanized because of his ‘wolf-dog’ label, unless Mission:Wolf could take him. They agreed to rescue Leo in the hopes that he would be a good match for another wolf-dog at Mission:Wolf named Luna.
When only eight months old, Leo arrived at Mission:Wolf. He hobbled around on three good legs while holding his injured leg up and still managed to reach the kitchen countertop and steal dinner on more than one occasion. He also had the unfortunate habit of shredding pillows, stalking the resident chickens and breaking into the dog food cabinet. His boisterous personality and happy-go-lucky attitude toward life got him out of trouble time after time. Luna found him irresistible.
After years of special care and extra TLC, Leo has recovered full use of his leg and happily gallops through his enclosure with Luna. Thanks to the Denver “Dumb Friends League,” their veterinarian and the Mission:Wolf staff, Leo will spend the rest of his life roughhousing and playing in the sun with Luna.
