Yamnuska Wolfdog Sanctuary looking for donations as holiday campaign wraps up

When you first see them moving through the trees, it's easy to mistake them for their completely wild cousins, and in many ways they are more wild than domestic.

In fact, that's a big reason why the Yamnuska Wolfdog Sanctuary exists.

"Do they make a great pet? In most cases, no," said Kara Dowhaniuk, manager of fundraising and events.

"When most people think of pets they want a best friend, they want to hang out on the couch with them. But these guys are more like very angsty cats, so they don’t really want to be around you as much as you do them."

That lack of a bond with humans also comes with other difficult behaviours, such as chewing through walls or other enclosures, resource guarding and repeatedly escaping their human homes.

Well-meaning people often try to care for them.

Other times, animals come from fur farms or other dangerous circumstances. 

After the sanctuary opened in 2011, it was averaging about three rescues a year.

That number has since climbed to around seven.

There are 43 full-time residents at the sanctuary west of Cochrane, all requiring food, secure enclosures and mental stimulation.

"Wolfdogs require a very specific lifestyle, and they’re not going to form to your lifestyle," Dowhaniuk said.  

"You’re going to have to mould yourself to the animal."

The sanctuary is looking for cash donations to help complete a new enclosure meant to temporarily hold animals in need of medical attention, or for assessment when they first arrive.

The goal is to come up with $65,000 as well as supplies, such as feeding buckets and water tanks.

A complete list of their needs is available on their website.

Tours run several times a day, allowing people to get close to the animals and learn about both their specific needs and more about their notoriously shy wild relatives.

The holiday fundraising drive ends Jan. 8.