Gandalf

Born on February 1, 2002 in Arkansas
Arrived at Mission: Wolf on August 3, 2002
Adopted out from Mission: Wolf on June 5, 2004
Passed away on November 23, 2010

Sex: Male
Lived with Aurora, Nali

Did you know? It takes $3,000 a year just to feed and care for one of our wolves. By giving $5 or more a month, you can take a wolf to dinner by becoming a Wolf Caretaker.

Gandalf’s Story

Mission: Wolf became home to two white wolf-dog pups in August of 2002 named Nali and Gandalf. These German shepherd/collie/wolf siblings were sold as exotic pets at a Denver gun show and lived on choke chains at a trailer park before we found them. When the city threatened to put Nali and Gandalf down because they were part wolf, we took them in. Their first months here were spent hiding and barking at staff and visitors alike.

After months of effort, we finally won their trust. The problem now was their constant screaming and whining for more attention. We moved them all over the refuge trying to find an adult wolf to act as a mentor and show these two hooligans the ropes, but no one would accept. They were too old (and noisy) for anyone to put up with. We were all frustrated and annoyed, but every time we were ready to give up on them, Nali and Gandalf would look at us with those innocent eyes and we couldn’t say no.

In a last-ditch effort to find resident wolf Aurora a companion, we separated Nali and Gandalf. With much screaming and crying, their separation was traumatic for everyone, but it worked out in the end. Gandalf spent his time running around and playing with Aurora until he was adopted by a long-term staff member. He traveled the country, embarked on many adventures, and lived a long and well-loved life.