Yaqui

Yaqui was a wolf-dog cross born in a private breeding facility in 1989 near Boulder, CO. This particular facility is infamous for its horrid living conditions – with little food or water available, small and unsanitary pens, and too many horror stories to tell. Thankfully a couple of friends of Mission:Wolf rescued Yaqui from this life when he was seven months old. These kind people tried to care for both Yaqui and another wolf but could not for an extended period of time. These two animals proved too difficult to contain and provide an appropriate home for.

As a hot-headed youngster, Yaqui quickly ended up living at Mission:Wolf. He took over leadership of the refuge’s wolf-dog pack, and managed to bully everyone else around despite his small stature. It wasn’t until years later that a newly arrived wolf-dog named Rogue moved into the pack and dethroned Yaqui. Rogue resoundingly chased Yaqui out of the gate. However, Yaqui’s mate, Raku, followed him out of the gate and Rogue ended up living alone. Yaqui got to spend the next three years stalking along the fence-line, taunting Rogue and showing off that he’d gotten the girl.

When Raku passed away, Yaqui soon discovered the loneliness Rogue had been dealing with. At the same time, another hot-headed wolf-dog named Ghost Dancer found herself without a companion. The refuge staff decided to try introducing Ghost and Yaqui to each other… they figured these two animals were so much alike that they would keep each other busy. As is the case when any wolf is put in with an animal they don’t know, the potential for fighting or strong bonding is always there. What actually happens when two new wolves are put in together is really dependent on their individual personalities. When Yaqui and Ghosty were put in together, there was a lot of howling and barking. Even a year later, they continued to bicker and fight at the smallest provocation. Ghosty’s favorite game became stealing all of Yaqui’s food and growling at him if he complained. The staff was right, both Ghost and Yaqui were so strong-willed and testy that they did keep each other busy… just not in quite the way we had hoped.

 By this time, Yaqui was starting to resemble an old codger. He seemed to be holding a grudge against the world… for first putting him in the horrible breeding facility, then letting Rogue steal his territory, and now giving him a feisty companion who wouldn’t let him get any peace. The staff took pity on old Yaqui and separated him from Ghost. He was then placed with Nali, a white German shepherd/ collie female that needed a bit of guidance. Nali turned out to be the perfect companion for ancient Yaqui. She bounced around the enclosure, barking in his ear and racing in circles. He would grumble at her if she barked too loudly, but seemed to enjoy her gentler side. These two became great Ambassadors for wolves and wolf-dogs. Visitors to the refuge could see the distinct differences between dogs (Nali), wolf-dog crosses (Yaqui) and wolves (the other residents of the refuge).

Sadly, shortly after Yaqui found the mission and peace that he had been looking for, his age began to take over.  In September of 2003, Yaqui’s back legs began to fail and he became more uncomfortable by the day.  A trip to the vet revealed that Yaqui had degenerative mylopothy.  This painful condition causes a breakdown of the protective sheath that covers the nerves, producing loose signals that travel throughout the body causing loss of mobility and organ function.  There is nothing that can treat degenerative mylopothy, and the staff finally made the difficult decision to euthanize Yaqui in October of 2003. Everyone will miss Yaqui’s cantankerous nature, his reverberating howl-bark, and his calming influence on rambunctious Nali.