Our Letter to Obama to Save the Wolves

Dear Friends,

We are outraged and also deeply saddened that the recently passed budget bill included the rider taking Northern Rocky gray wolves off of the Endangered Species Act, leaving their survival up to those very states that want to see them eradicated.

Please see our letter to President Obama below. If you so choose, please print it out, sign it and fax or mail it to the White House. Even better, please write a letter in your own words.

Thank you, and please continue to support Shadowland Foundation and help us protect those magnificent and loving beings, the wolves.

Gratefully yours,
The Shadowland Pack



President Barack Obama

The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
Phone: (202) 456-1111
Fax: (202) 456-2461

Dear President Obama,

The rider attached to the newly signed budget bill that takes Northern Rocky gray wolves off of the Endangered Species List is an outrageous travesty. There is no practical or sane reason that anything about wolves, or any other species, should have been included in a bill dealing with the budget. Especially a provision that completely jeopardizes the general welfare and survival of a fellow species, and one that as a keystone species is integral to the overall health of its environment.

When wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone, from near extinction in the 1990s, trees, songbirds and beavers have also flourished. Turning back the clock on this magnificent and grossly misunderstood animal, in favor of already heavily subsidized ranchers, hunters and developers was immoral and unethical. What does it say to our children and yours that we sacrificed the wolves to a lobbyist and industry agenda? What does it say that we allowed them to be exterminated just when they were beginning to recover? As of now, the Northern Rocky gray wolf population is only 10% of what it once was worldwide. It is only because of recent and intense recovery efforts that the population is sustainable at all. Allowing these states to manage the populations is to give them a death sentence; not in my opinion, they have said this is what they intend. They will be hunted and slaughtered for sport.

Any arguments that wolves are a threat, and have a negative impact upon livestock, elk and business are completely false; perpetrated by those who have had decades of relatively free range to prosper on public land without having to take any responsibility to protect their own property or replenish the land they desecrate. The facts are that wolves, as a natural predator, keep elk, deer and caribou populations in check, preventing them from overgrazing the land. Livestock are much more likely to be killed by coyotes, feral dogs and disease than by any wolf. When livestock are killed by wolves, ranchers are reimbursed with money that is supposed to go towards preventative measures to keep livestock safe from wolves in the first place.

Millions of tax dollars were invested reintroducing the wolves to the Yellowstone National Park. Not only was it a success for the failing ecology, it more than paid off in the millions brought to the region by ecotourism. The economy of the states also flourished and will continue to do so by the addition of wolves to the region. Wolves actually stimulated the economy in those states without any political or partisan stimulus package. According to recent polls, 87% of the public strongly agrees that the gray wolf is a vital and part of America’s wilderness and natural heritage. Who speaks for these citizens who have benefited from the wolves’ presence, certainly not the elected representatives who attached this rider, nor anyone else who voted for it?

Despite your promises to return science to the heart of the Endangered Species Act (ESA), it is under your watch that for the first time ever, Congress has voted to remove endangered status for a species by sneaking it into this budget bill. This was blatantly a back door manipulation and abuse of our legislative process by these devious politicians. Now that it is done, what now? We desperately need some kind of protection in place to keep wildlife safe from special interests before they need the ESA just to survive mankind.

I implore you to do all in your power to ensure the safety of the Northern Rocky gray wolf, and to maintain federal protections for the Great Lakes gray wolf as well as all other endangered species. Reject lobbyists and extremist measures that place profit before preservation and protection, and politics before science on all matters of our natural world. Kindness, Conservation and Stewardship are American Values. Let’s keep it that way.

Sincerely Yours,

Paul, Colette, Gwenn, Shadow, Alaska, Takoda, Keme, Kachina, Cochise, Chenoa, Ogin and Tehya

New Budget Resolution Allows for Western Wolves to be Slaughtered

We may have a government that’s still open, we may have a budget of sorts, but will we have wolves? For, their fate and their ensured survival under the Endangered Species Act, was one of the fatalities of Friday night’s budget “compromise” - included within the Continuing Budget Resolution, was the provision to strip federal protections for wolves in the Northern Rockies, reinstating a 2009 rules that was based on bad science and was declared unlawful by a federal district court.

This marks the first time ever in the history of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) that Congress has removed protections for one specific species. In doing so, this provision not only endangers wolves, who are already endangered, but threatens all species protected under the ESA. And once again, a decision that should be based on good, sound science has been decided by politicians and their corporate friends who will profit from the state’s wolf management system’s i.e. killing sprees. Who will be the next?


Mother Nature should ‘manage’ the populations as she has done for millennia, not the hunters and ranchers and realtors, and those who are just misguidedly frightened of the “big bad wolf.”

Our fight for wolves and for our environment continues. Please send a message to Western governors to protect wolves, and please continue to support Shadowland Foundation and other organizations that safeguard our wild and natural world.

On the road again!

We are just 10 miles from Cedar City Utah returning home from CSU and our continuing journey for Shadow’s sake. We wanted to drive straight through and miss the impending storms in southern California, but ran into a snow storm in Beaver, UT (birth place of Butch Cassidy). The fresh snow was just gorgeous. Paul however was concerned about the snow as it meant a difficult drive for us…but the worst seems to be over here on the road, but we are not looking forward to driving into the never ending thunderstorms hitting LA.

It has been one week today since we took Shadow in to see Dr. Tzipory to find out what was causing Shadow’s nose bleed. Before her MRI he went over all of the possible causes…ending with what he called the worst possible scenario; a fungal infection. “They are worse than cancer,” he exclaimed. Two hours later he called us to view the images. No matter how positive I had kept my thoughts and how hard I had imagined this meeting being just a minor complication, I knew when I walked into the room that it was not good news. I could feel it from Dr. Tzipory’s body language and lack of greeting. My body started a kind of collapse from deep inside me and I had to sit before he even spoke. Looking inside a brain is quite phenomenal thing in any situation, but to see infection to such an extent in her small little head was just unbearable. Paul just crossed his arms, held it together and took care of business. He leads us with such power, precision and fortitude; he constantly impresses me with his courage and commitment.

Still under anesthesia, they took her back into surgery at around noon. He said they would be able to tell what kind of infection it was when they got in there. Our concern was that the culture we had done back in LA was to take 3 weeks to find out if it is fungal or not. The research I did indicated that fungal infections were deadly if not discovered in 8 days, and it had already been over 10 days since her first symptoms. How maddning!

We whiled away the hours by grocery shopping, washing the truck, and then tried to take a nap…still no word. We stayed at the Kiva Best Western again in our little pet friendly room and Paul set up his little traveling kitchenette; he is so proud of his regression to his old Boy Scout days.   About to go stir crazy, at 6PM the call came. Dr. Tzipory’s voice was an indication of the news to come; it was fungal and in her brain. He removed the bone cement and the muscle and tendons he had created for her as a protective cover over her brain. It was covered with spores and the infection had taken over the area where the cyst was removed just 5 weeks earlier. He cleaned the area and said he doused it with hydrogen peroxide believe it or not.

There are very few cases where the prognosis was good with this kind of infection. Most owners pull the plug at this point because the drugs they use are for humans and quite expensive and could cause kidney damage as a side effect. They have some data of one dog that had the infection in his lungs and lymph system; it is still alive and well. This fungus is usually present in the sinus of all dogs and humans as well and lies dormant until the immune system is compromised. Considering her cancer was all sinus related…well, there you go.

At this point, Shadow had not woken from surgery and we had to wait and see her condition when the anesthesia wore off. In the meantime, we had Dr. LaRue, Shadow’s Radiation Oncologist, on the phone discussing euthanasia. This was excruciating for all of us. When we got off of the phone, Paul wiped his eyes, stopped crying and said he just didn’t want to give up on her. Our alternative to giving her the medication is to take her home, watch her deteriorate and wait for her to tell us she cannot take it anymore. Knowing Shadow, she would never give up, she hasn’t so far.

When Dr. Tzipory called back and said she was up, breathing on her own, and headed for the door again ready to go home; so we gave him the go ahead and Paul went into, “how to pay for it” mode. They gave her the first treatment that same evening. She responded well, no adverse reactions and she is to have 3 treatments a week, for 3 weeks. We stayed for the first week of treatment. Her last treatment was Monday and they checked her kidneys and they are just fine. It is his belief that the infection is systemic so we have to get it into her blood stream so the medication is delivered through an IV with fluids at the same time to protect her kidneys.

On Christmas day, we took Shadow, Allie and Takoda to the mountains and let them run in the snow. Shadow was so excited, had a big smile on her face and her tail went up for the first time since she got to drink out of the creek before we got to CSU. It was sad to see her struggle a bit as she is so weak from the surgery. She took it easy though, and let us know she was done by crawling into Paul’s arms as if to say, “thank you, I needed that.”

I have to applaud Takoda and Allie for their devotion to Shadow. They have lived on Shadow’s very sedate schedule with little or no complaint. Takoda took to the snow and played hard like the arctic he is and Allie indulged him a little by playing with him some. Her beta self is happiest just holding down the fort and staying close, guarding and protecting the pack.

Everyone here is astounded by Shadow’s strong constitution and love of life. Yet again, she is another case study, now for this new anti-fungal for animals. Her purpose in life seems to include this contribution to the medical community. I have to tell you that it infuriates me that she has had to endure all of this medical treatment and yet I am filled with gratitude at the same time. We can only assist her in this journey, which is our honor and pleasure.

Our next assignment is to find someone to help us create a custom helmet for her so she can enjoy the puppies and the outdoors. She thrives on her connection to the earth. Our new property when we procure it will be the best medicine in the world, but without something to protect her brain; she will not be able to participate. Any resources you may be able to recommend would be greatly appreciated.

As always, with all our being, we appreciate your continued and never ending support.

Nap time for Takoda

Election Day - Vote With Your Heart

Dear Fellow Pack Members,

As you know, tomorrow is Election Day. This is a critical time for our environment and our planet as a whole. We can no longer delay policy that will help turn around the damage done and start to heal the planet before the consequences are irrevocable. We here at Shadowland Foundation urge you to be mindful of this when casting your vote. Please vote for those candidates and propositions that will support the Endangered Species Act, the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act.  We ask that you vote with your hearts to secure these protections, and that we continue to move forward with clean energy, green jobs and a green economy to ensure the survival of all species and all life on this Earth. It's time!

Eternally grateful,
The Shadowland Foundation

In Loving Memory of Denali

Shadowland Foundation and our pack family is very indebted to all of you, our extended pack community for your vigilant support through Denali's journey.

It is with great sadness I have to announce that he had another episode of hydrocephalus and this time the quality of his life here with us was severely impaired.

At 4PM yesterday we let him go in the arms of his loving family and friends. He is and will always be our beautiful, handsome wolf pup and he will live with us forever in Spirit.

Thanks to all of you for your prayers, love and good thoughts. We are honored to have had such a great "Old Soul" in our lives and applaud his courage and bravery to face this condition gracefully and patiently. He left a huge "paw print" on our hearts and all of those he met.

To those who were and are able to offer us financial support for his medical expenses, we thank you from the depth of our being. Bless you, always.

Give a Love Offering Here

Your support is invaluable to us.  Thank you, thank you, thank you...

Paul, Colette, Shadow, Alaska, Takoda, Ogin, Cochise, Kachina, Chenoa, Tehya, Keme, and especially Denali!

Denali Undergoing Exploratory Surgery

Tomorrow morning Denali will undergo exploratory surgery on his spine.  We're asking for your continued Love, Support, Prayers and Donations (if so called).

Thanks to all of you that have been asking about him.  We hope to know more afterwards.

If you'd like to Donate - please click here:  DONATE NOW