Never Cry Wolf Rescue is helping people better understand wolves

Living with a hybrid wolf takes patience and a lot of attention and some owners can't handle the challenge of a wolf-dog.

Would you want a wolf as a pet? You may be surprised to learn that many of the stereotypes of these wild animals are not true. For one Sacramento man, saving wolves has become a passion. On Special Assignment, John Iander says wolf and man can learn a lot from each other.

Pat Wilcox / Sacramento Animal Shelter Director: Don't be surprised if you see this guy and his yellow jeep heading down the freeway towing a trailer of what looks like a load of dogs. But look closer, these are hybrids - part wild wolf, part domestic dog. The human being behind all of this is Sam Blake.

Sam spends a lot of his time looking through county animal shelters for wolf mixes.

Sam Blake / Never Cry Wolf Rescue: "Most people try to use these guys as pets and the fail every time. They don't come, sit and stay like a dog does."

These are wolves Sam has rescued after their owners abandoned them. Living with a hybrid wolf takes patience and a lot of attention and some owners can't handle the challenge of a wolf-dog.

Sam Blake / Never Cry Wolf Rescue: "They do everything on their terms and they do it because they want to do. If you try to force your will on them, they will resist, because they have a pecking order."

One of Sam's favorite places to bring his travelling wolf show is here in Old Sacramento. You can find him here just about every weekend.

Sam's message is simple. Don't let man mess up nature. He's saddened by the growing number of underground breeders who are creating these hybrids.

Sam spends a lot of his time looking through county animal shelters for wolf mixes. This one looks like he might be, but isn't.

But this one is a hybrid for sure. Sam looks for the five characteristics that confirm the wolf within. The main one is these slanted, yellowish eyes with the haunting stare.

Sam Blake / Never Cry Wolf Rescue: "These eyes just look right through you when the make contact with you. That's something that is difficult to walk away from."

Other clues for wolf ancestry are webbed paws that give the animals greater traction in snow and mud. Look also for that long snout. And checkout the two layers of fur.

Sam Blake / Never Cry Wolf Rescue: "Her coat is very wiry. See that. A little more coarse that a regular dogs hair."

The final clue is the animal's attitude. The wolf hybrid is always alert.

Sam Blake / Never Cry Wolf Rescue: "She actually is looking around and kinda evaluating things. A dog is just kinda 'do dee do dee do'. their ears are always on alert, she is always looking around - that's indicative of the hybrids."

Sam says fiction writers and Hollywood movies have painted a terrible and unfair picture of the wolf. One of the biggest misconceptions about wolf hybrids is that they are mean, aggressive animals... Well, what do you think now?

We watched dozens of school kids petting these hybrids and getting lots of love in return. We didn't hear one bark, one howl, nor did we see any sign of anger from these animals. Wolves are pack animals and they like being part of a family. Sam spends a lot of time explaining the wolf to the human.

Sam Blake / Never Cry Wolf Rescue: "The most typical reaction is why aren't they acting wild, why aren't they attacking. Why aren't they doing this, why aren't they doing that. I look at them and go because they are not like that."

Sam reminds us that in one 120 years there has been no documented case of a wolf killing a person in the United States. But Sam is also quick to say all hybrids are not gentle. Wolves have a pecking order. On top is the alpha who is aggressive. A beta wolf is usually easy going in the middle of the pack. The best for a hybrid is the omega. They are used to being at the bottom of the pecking order and are very playful and docile.

Sam helps find adoptive homes for the hybrids. And he helps animal shelters identify wolf-dogs. But these hybrids are not for everyone.

Sam Blake / Never Cry Wolf Rescue: "That is just not a dog you put with children. You don't know what kind of ehavior they have and we don't have any history of the dog at all. So that's a major issue."

Sam also worries some macho human types want to own a wolf because of its image. Big surprise:

Sam and his hybrid rescue and adoption program survive on donations and supplies from a pet food company.

Sam Blake / Never Cry Wolf Rescue: "These guys are not the best watchdogs in the world. If there is an intruder in the house, they are the first ones out the window." Now a few words about Sam. He's a retired sheriff's deputy. Part Native American, a man who's recently rediscovered life with the help of a few wild animals.

Sam Blake / Never Cry Wolf Rescue: "This is the best thing that I have ever came across. It helps my sanity. I'm getting back to where I think a lot of people need to be. They are caught up into chasing the almighty dollar and are forgetting about nature."

Sam and his hybrid rescue and adoption program survive on donations and supplies from a pet food company. But the biggest payoff is the reaction of those who - for the first time in the lives - meet a wolf eye to eye.

Twenty-one years ago, Sam met Rambo - a white wolf dog hybrid someone had abandoned in our foothills. It took ten hours for Sam and Rambo to bond. They went home together. Rambo lived to nineteen and Sam's life was changed forever by an ambassador from the wild.

John Iander, KOVR 13 News