Talon

Approx. DOB: April 19, 2008
Arrived at Mission: Wolf on April 27, 2009
Passed away on March 15, 2021

Sex: Male
Lives with Valley Spirit, Asia

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Talon’s Story

Talon was confiscated by animal control from a private owner. He and Valley Spirit, who came from the same property, were taken to a local dog shelter. En route to Mission: Wolf, Valley gave birth to four puppies. The six arrived at the refuge in the spring of 2009, after a long and stressful journey.

Folks from The Dog Whisperer program, with help from a professional dog trainer, funded and filmed their transport to Mission: Wolf. When his carrier door opened for the first time in three days, Talon emerged cautious but soon looked at his wooded surroundings and let out a sigh of relief. He eagerly greeted all of our staff and several visitors the following day, leaving a trail of wet kisses. We think that Talon may have been simply a dog that was mislabeled as a wolf-dog. In the following months, Talon was moved into the staff quarters with our Siberian Husky, Kona. Talon was very happy living with people, but we felt that Valley needed a companion, so we moved Talon in with Valley and her four pups. The two were very excited to see each other, and Talon turned out to be an excellent surrogate father.

As the pups matured, we separated them from their parents and gave them their own packs. Valley, Talon, and Asia (the only female pup of the litter) lived together as a happy trio across from the two of the brothers, Buku and Oreo. In the spring of 2019, Talon began having seizures. He was moved closer to the staff house so that we could monitor him and give him anti-seizure medicine every day. He was able to live happily for two more years until his old age caught up with him in a cold winter and he started struggling with mobility and keeping enough weight on. We helped him pass away peacefully on March 15, 2021.

Talon was special to many of the staff and visitors. We fondly remember his goofy, loving charm and will miss him dearly.