image via – youtube.com
Everyone knows that dogs are man’s best friend and the connection between people and canines runs deep. Naturally, when an 18 year old man from Tucson, Arizona found a cute little puppy abandoned in a shopping cart he couldn’t just leave him there. He took the dog home and asked his parents if he could keep him, they said yes and named him Neo.
From the start there were issues with Neo, he would relieve himself in the young man’s car and was very anti-social, yet needy at the same time. He’d only let the man get close and feed or care for him and shunned any of the other family members attempts at showing him any attention. Being that the man worked long hours and was enrolled full time at college, Neo was often left at home in the back yard.
Thinking that the fenced in area was roomy and safe enough for the dog, the family was surprised when Neo first got out. However, he started escaping regularly and would either dig a hole to freedom or jump right over the fence. Once he was out, Neo would head over to the neighbor’s house where some German Shepherds lived and loved to hang out and play with them.
Time and again he escaped, so the boy and his parents put up a much bigger and better fence thinking it would keep Neo in. It didn’t, the dog chewed right through the new fence and escaped in no time at all, heading straight back to the neighbors and his old dog friends.
The neighbors had been understanding and wanted to help. They would bring Neo back every time, but after awhile they got fed up with having to constantly return him. Plus, Neo clearly still didn’t trust them, he’d avoid eye contact and refused to eat any treats they threw his way. They ended up bringing him to the local Humane Society of Southern Arizona to see if they could offer professional help on what to do with the situation.
When Maureen O’Nell, the CEO of the shelter at the time, first saw Neo she knew right away he was different and not an ordinary dog. His amber eyes, long legs, rough coat that featured specific markings, and the anti-social behavior he displayed towards humans indicated that Neo was in fact a wolf! That came as a shock to everyone, but now all of Neo’s quirks and strange behavior made sense.
With this new revelation came a whole mess of issues. Arizona law prohibits anyone from owning a wolf unless they are either of Native American descent or they get a special permit. Not even animal shelters can take a wolf hybrid in and the humane society was required to report him to the authorities which left Neo’s fate in limbo.
Watch this video for the full story:
Not wanting to see him put down, his family and O’Nell started looking into options for his future care. They found a California sanctuary called Wolf Connection Organization that was properly equipped to take care of wolves and wolf hybrids, which is what Neo likely was. The sanctuary agreed to take Neo in and soon he began the slow, gradual adjustment process of living at the facility and among other wolves.
For Neo, being an impatient escape artist, the adjustment period was a little too slow. He soon broke out of his enclosure and headed straight to the one next door where an established pack lived. His friendly nature soon won over the alpha female of the pack, a wolf named Maya, and with that the rest of the group accepted him into their family.
Thankfully Neo’s story has a happy ending; he ended up among fellow wolves rather than confined to a backyard or put down.
See Neo all grown up in the video below:
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