Saidee

Photo © 2009 - Vendy Hubackova

In October 2001, Saidee became Mission:Wolf’s first new addition in six years. Since she moved around so much before coming to the refuge, her story (like that of most wolf-dogs) is sketchy and vague.

She was born and first sold in Oregon. She passed from home to home during her first months. Judging by her behavior later in life, Saidee was abused and neglected by some of her owners as a pup. Eventually, Saidee found her way to a Siberian husky rescue organization. Due to her shy nature and extreme fear of men, they decided that Saidee must be part wolf and, per their bylaws, consequently destroyed. At the last moment, a kind woman convinced the organization that the pup deserved another chance and ended up bringing Saidee home to Colorado City. At 10 months old, Saidee had finally found a home.

Saidee bonded easily with women from the beginning. She looked to the woman who had saved her for friendship and protection. The only conflict was Saidee’s severe fear of the woman’s husband. Even this problem began to dissipate after a few months. Everything was looking up for Saidee until the couple unexpectedly discovered they were pregnant. They wanted to keep Saidee, but they felt it wouldn’t be safe for the baby or fair to Saidee. The woman found Mission:Wolf and asked if the could please take in her wolf-dog.

The staff decided to take a chance on Saidee, on the condition that she got along with a lonely resident bachelor named Rogue. Rogue, a huge wolf-malamute cross, had spent many a year alone because of his rough-and-tumble attitude. Although everyone was worried about putting these two canines together, Rogue was overjoyed to finally have companionship and Saidee adored him on sight. Saidee was initially frightened of the refuge staff, but Rogue soon taught her how to be brave in the face of human company.

For three years, Saidee and Rogue lived in peace and happiness at the bottom of the gully. The more time the staff spent with Saidee, the more they suspected that she didn’t have much wolf in her. She spent hours pressed up against the fence begging for attention. Despite Rogue’s protests, she was overjoyed when she was allowed inside the house to play with the staff. As she’s grown, Saidee looks more and more like a pure-bred malamute (curly tail, yodeling voice and all). Although no one will never really know where she came from, the staff now believe that Saidee is a case of mistaken identity. She was just a misunderstood and abused malamute puppy that wasn’t given a chance to grow up into the dog she could have become.

To start the process of convincing Saidee that she is indeed a dog, not a wolf or wolf-dog, she has moved away from Mission:Wolf and found a loving home with an old staff members. She loves the extra attention from her new human and dog companions and seems to be content living life as a malamute, rather than a wolf.