Friday

Barking but true: How a Rottweiler became surrogate father to an abandoned wolf cub

A true love story unfolded at Kisma Preserve in Mt. Desert, Maine, USA. It all began when 2 young wolves were turned over to the sanctuary, when their owner who had intended to profit from them by using them to breed for wolf hybrids, decided they couldn't handle them. As Heather from the sanctuary described it, "It was thought they had been snatched from the wild for the purpose of breeding them with dogs to make hybrids - a big fad in America. It causes many problems, it's purely for a fad and people don't realize the difficulties of caring for these wild breeds. Then they either dump them or hand them over to us."

Gandalf, the male was only one, and Kahlani, the female was two, and it was thought they both were too young to have babies. Wolves in the wild do not breed until they are at least two years old. So it was a massive shock when Kahlani gave birth. The people at the sanctuary didn't even know that Gandalf had it in him and suddenly they had a little wolf pup on their hands. But the miraculous birth suddenly took a sad turn when because of her young age, Kahlani's maternal instincts failed to kick in and she ignored the new arrival. Also Gandalf didn't have a clue what to do and they were really concerned that he might hurt the pup who was named Beldaran.

In a desperate attempt to get the pup some maternal care, the sanctuary team placed Beldaran with another canine at the center - a tiny Yorkshire Terrier, named Mia,who had just finished raising her own litter and was still lactating. But the Yorkie wasn't interested either and made every effort to avoid the pup that was being pushed on her. But all was not lost yet because that's when Ulrok stepped up to help out.

Ulrok was a fully grown Rottweiler who at 18 months old weighed in at 150lbs. Ulrok was a rescue dog whose previous owners had imported him from Europe and gave him up when they decided they couldn't cope with him. But ever since Beldaran's arrival, Ulrok had been trying to get involved in everything with the wolf pup. He would clean her and when she would whimper he would bound over to make sure she was ok.

Ulrok had such a huge interest in her that they decided he would be their best option for Beldaran. They would bottle feed the wolf pup and Ulrok would be her companion and mother/paternal substitute. It worked out brilliantly, in fact they slept together, played in the sun and even howled at the moon in unison. The 'Mutt and Jeff' duo soon became a huge attraction at the sanctuary.

The staff also made the decision that once Beldaran was full size and could fend for herself, they would gradually introduce her to a group of adult wolves at the park to make sure she stayed all wolf and was not alienated from her own kind. But for the time being it was a perfect match. Dogs and wolves are very similar biologically and they both need strong social ties when they are developing.

They however also felt that the wolf pup's bond with Ulrok would always be there. After all their time together they would surely never forget each other. It was a true love story that had touched the hearts of everyone who visited the preserve. As Heather stated, "You just can't be in a bad mood when these two are around. It's impossible to look at them and not feel good."

Barking mad: Rottweiler Ulrok has become so close to wolf cub Beldarin they even howl in unison

Both are rescue animals and spend all of their time together at the reserve

Tough love: the wolf's new 'father' shows the youngster who is boss

Once Beldaran is full size and can fend for herself, Heather plans to gradually introduce her to a group of adult wolves at the park

Responses to "150 lb. Rottweiler raises tiny wolf pup"

  1. Charity says:

    This is a wonderful story :-)

  2. Anonymous says:

    AWESOME!! WE HAVE MUCH TO LEARN FROM THE ANIMAL KINGDOM!!!

  3. Mimzue says:

    Best thing I've read all day just takes my breath away, wow!

  4. Anonymous says:

    Thanks, that's a special story. I had a rottie years ago and he was a wonderful dog, pet and protector.

  5. Anonymous says:

    Absolutely Awesome!!! If only mankind had the compassion of dogs! I'd love to see updates of these two!!!

  6. Mikael says:

    Were is the video?! :)

  7. Anonymous says:

    what a wonderful story, it goes to prove the compassion & love animals have. We have a lot to learn from them!

  8. Anonymous says:

    She should be introduced as young as possible to the other wolves. Pack behavior is different than being babied... just sayin

  9. Glenda says:

    Such an awesome ending for the little one! Great job Ulrok! And, I hope Beldaran is fully accepted back into the pack! Let us know, please!

  10. I think if they are family then allow them to be family!!

  11. Anonymous says:

    greta story amazing just one hiccup i sed to breed rottties thta bitch is not 150lbs that would be mrbidly life threatening obese for a rotweiller female she is 120lbs tops

  12. Anonymous says:

    excuse the typos above my keyboard is dying

  13. Anonymous says:

    The rott is a male and imported, so it's possible for him to get larger than the ones we are familiar with.

  14. Anonymous says:

    i had a part wolf kayla was awesome she was given to me a great protector, i hope the baby is excepted into the pak when she is full grown. pak behavior is different than most breeds of dogs,its alot trying to survive high school, it has its own paks

  15. Animals are reliable, full of love, true in their affections, predictable in their actions, grateful and loyal. Difficult standards for people to live up to."
    ~Alfred A. Montapert

  16. Anonymous says:

    beautiful story and they need each other made me smile.x

  17. Anonymous says:

    I completely understand why the mom and dad didn't know what to do and thankful you had them at the time. Please keep up to date of this little pup! Cute story :D

  18. Beautiful story, if only we humans were as good all round. Thankfully some are.

  19. Beautiful story, if only we humans were as good all round. Thankfully some are.

  20. Anonymous says:

    they r so cute and rots r great dogs wen I was young 1 was my baby sitter best baby sitter ever so its not shocking the rot took it as its own whats shocking is how cute the pup is they only get cuter as they get older

  21. Anonymous says:

    What a beautiful story...it really touches my heart...thank you for sharing it.

  22. Anonymous says:

    Has Beldaran with the wolf Pack now ?? How is she doing ??

  23. Anonymous says:

    Ulrok was a fully grown Rottweiler who at 18 months old weighed in at 150lbs. Ulrok was a rescue dog whose previous owners had imported HIM from Europe...

  24. Anonymous says:

    shouldn't the pup be introduced now. She will be the lower one now but with time she could work her way up to middle status. I don't think that would ever happen if introduced at a later ager.

  25. Anonymous says:

    they will introduce wolves to the pup AFTER she is grown? Big mistake...she should be started slowly right now-

  26. Anonymous says:

    did you know that the rottweiler was breeded to protect cattle ? its amaseing to see how thouse two have bonded togeather ! i have to agree , the cub needs to be introduced right away ! she has not been exposed to other wolfs ever sence she was born . they may not except her , then again ? i hope all will be fine with her .

  27. Anonymous says:

    Fantastic story, love it. ♥♡♥

  28. Beth says:

    That is an awesome story. I can't stand the ignorance of people. It is a Rottweiler of course he is going to get big. And hello they are wolves they are not meant to be pets they are meant to be wild and free. I think Ulrok is beautiful, my husband and I love rottweilers. That is great that there is somewhere for these two to go and be well taken care of. Thank you for sharing that story with all of us. God Bless!

  29. Anonymous says:

    Awesome story. Rots are amazing dogs.

  30. Anonymous says:

    I think that the timing of the pup's introduction to the wolf pack should be left to the professionals at the sanctuary. They are the ones with the experience, and have far more knowledge about these animals and their habits than the rest of us.

  31. Anonymous says:

    I really enjoyed watching the video sometimes I really think that animals show there love and feelings much more than some aduls do.

  32. Anonymous says:

    I think I know how the male "wolf" managed to sire a pup before the age of two.... there's no way that pup is a pure. I see Some content sure but not pure wolf. Look at the ears. Too pointy. Even for a pup. Misrepresentation at its finest. -_-

  33. Anonymous says:

    Beautiful story and another example of how we can learn from animals...... I have a rottie and I spieitually feel attached to wolves do this for me is awesome...

  34. Anonymous says:

    I am happy to see that the Rottie took him under his wing. Beautiful story! Wolves are God's creatures and I hope all goes well with both!

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