#westeros pack

Meet Ghost!

Ghost is part of Wild Spirit’s “Westeros Pack”, named by George R.R. Martin’s wife, Parris! The Martins supported the rescue of 12 wolf-dogs from really heinous conditions in Iowa and named each of those rescues after characters from Game of Thrones. Without their generosity, these wolf-dogs would have spent the rest of their lives crammed into small cement-floored enclosures in groups of 4 or more, never touching the ground, never being adequately cleaned, and never receiving medical care of any kind. The breeder had passed, leaving his already mistreated and inbred animals alone and uncared for. It is truly a miracle that they were brought to our attention and that we were able to fund their rescue - an undertaking that required hundreds of thousands of dollars in travel expenses, enclosure construction, veterinary care, and of course, lifelong care at our sanctuary. 

Since arriving here, Ghost’s life has still been a bit tumultuous. Never socialized, he and his family members naturally were very fearful of people. Getting them healthy required vet visits, surgery, and medication, all of which was scary and stressful. Finally, they settled into packs, one of which was Ghost Pack: 5 animals living together, 4 of whom were girls, and the 5th was Ghost, who was also the Alpha. Ghost was neutered, but the girls remained intact (not spayed) due to fear that their age and poor health would result in them dying during surgery (neutering is far less invasive and generally easier for the animal to recover from).

In 2015, Ghost’s packmate Lady, the companion he was closest with and the Alpha female, ruptured a tumor that had been hidden by her winter coat. She was pulled from the pack, had the tumor removed, and then once she was on the mend about 2 weeks later, she returned to her pack. Only a few days later, during the night, the other girls seized the opportunity and killed and ate Lady. We were devastated, and the pack suffered, too. With Lady’s role as Alpha suddenly available, the girls began vying to be in charge. Eventually, Nymeria was injured badly enough to also be removed, leaving Ghost, Arya, and Brienne alone as a pack of three. 

This year, Brienne and Arya went into heat and tensions rose to a breaking point. Brienne was captured and moved in with a male wolf-dog named Summer, who was also part of the initial Iowa rescue. Ghost and Arya adjusted to life alone, and for a moment, we hoped things would finally be easy for them. Unfortunately, this past month Ghost went to the vet for difficulty eating, and what we had hoped was a dental issue turned out to be Stage 3 kidney failure. The hard reality is that Ghost is dying. 

As their caretaker, I’m working hard each day to get Ghost to eat anything at all. Everything makes him nauseous. We were having success with cooked chicken and kibble, but then that faded. Then he would only eat the chicken. Now he will only eat cooked hamburgers and not even look at the chicken. According to our vet, force-feeding or dialysis are the only two options for patients at this point, neither of which are possible for us. So I’m cooking all the different types of foods I can think of each day, hoping that one will tempt him. He sleeps a lot, and some days he doesn’t even get up to see what I have to offer. It’s breaking my heart.

*Guest blog by Prizeo winner Richard Holland

I didn’t think there could be anything better than winning Prizeo’s George RR Martin grand prize until I met the man himself.

I can’t tell you what a wonderful experience the whole trip was. First off, my wife Seiko and I arrived a day early and one of George’s two fantastic minions, Lenore, invited us to see a magic show at the newly reopened Jean Cocteau theater, which George had lovingly remodeled. That was our first opportunity to meet George, and we found him warm and welcoming.

The next night, we again met at the theater, where George presented the checks to The Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary, and the Food Depot. There, I had the opportunity to meet Flurry, an arctic wolf who licked my face instead of eating it! We then met for dinner at one of George’s favorite restaurants and had a great time swapping stories and stuffing our faces. I promised myself I wasn’t going to ask any GOT questions and I pretty much stayed true to my word. I knew George was constantly being inundated with the same kind of questions over and over and I wanted to avoid that, and maybe get to know the man behind the pen on a more substantial level.

The great thing about George, his lovely and wonderful wife Parris and both his minion’s, Raya and Lenore, is that they made us feel so welcome, so comfortable and almost (If for a brief moment) part of their clan. I really loved that.

The next morning Seiko and I were invited to the inner-sanctum of George’s office, where we were privy to his vast collection of miniatures, set in their own corresponding dioramas. It was an amazing treat. Of course there were also plenty of Game of Thrones memorabilia to gaze at, and we were rewarded with little gifts from both Parris and Raya. Now prominently displayed in my own office. We then had a great breakfast at a local Cafe, loading up on carbs for the trek ahead. From there it was on to the airport, where we took an hour and a half helicopter ride with George and Parris to the Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary.

Once there, we were met by Leyton Cougar, the head of the sanctuary and his many volunteers. A great group of dedicated human beings working hard to protect the animals in their care. We wandered the large area for a couple of hours, visiting many rescues in large habitats. Our first visit was with a red fox and then on to the Dingo’s. We actually entered their habitat, where they made us feel right at home, nuzzling and licking us whenever the impulse hit. We met singing dogs from Borneo, Coyotes, half breed Wolf dogs. These poor animals are bred by the uninformed, who think it’s cool to have a half dog half wolf pet. What they don’t realize is they are the most dangerous and unpredictable of the lot. Wolfs are naturally shy, dogs are not, and this mix can become easily agitated and deadly.

The highlight of the trip to the sanctuary was our visit to the Westeros Pack. Nine Arctic wolves, led by one named Ghost! How perfect. We entered their compound and sat still on boulders and large tree trunks as the wolves circled around us again and again, the wind blowing through the pines… Gradually these beautiful animals became more comfortable with us and slowed their pacing. We could feel their trust growing with every lap… It was simply magical.

Speaking of magical. Our trip ended with all of the wolves in the sanctuary howling at the same time, creating a surreal moment that I will never forget.

Our trip back to Santa Fe was also incredible… We flew just ahead of the setting sun, which created an ever changing palette of colors over a landscape etched in time. Mesmerizing.

Alas, our day and our trip was over. But wait. When George found out that we were staying one more day, he invited us for a sushi dinner the next night. Seiko and I sat with George and Raya talking about each others lives as if we were long time friends and kindred spirits.

I think that was the most wonderful gift of all, the feeling that we could perhaps call these incredible people our friends, that maybe, just maybe, we would see them again someday.