Jersey Shore Magazine

j e r s e y s h o r e • s p r i n g 2 0 1 4 13 continued on page 14 Wolfdog pack members strike a pose at Howling Woods Farm in Jackson. The Wolves of Jackson Howling Woods Farm Rescues Wolfdogs I t can be intimidating to be in the presence of a celebrity. Especially when she has carnassial canines. But it's easy to make this diva happy—champagne and caviar aren't necessary. All Sierra needs is a bite of hot dog and a belly rub. At Howling Woods Farm, a breed- specific rescue in Jackson, the wolf- dogs are the stars—literally. Sierra appeared in The Sorcerer's Apprentice with Bandit, Takoda, Samson…and Nic Cage. She and Naiche modeled in Esquire. The pack has even hung out with Hoda and Kathy Lee and has frolicked in music videos. But Michael Hodanish, owner of Howling Woods Farm, is no stage dad. He doesn't seek the limelight for his pack. As one of the few wolfdog preserves in the country, the interest in his animals comes to him. It's fine with Hodanish, though, as it helps him to spread the word about his mission: to save wolfdogs. "There are very few rescues like ours that will take in wolfdogs," Hodanish said. These beautiful creatures have undergone an Eliza Doolittle-esq transformation, saved by Hodanish from almost-certain death in shelters across the country. They now live out their days in a happy pack on Hodanish's ten-acre Pine Barrens farm. My family and I were lucky enough to be in the presence of these beautiful animals last winter. Upon entering the farm, we were greeted by eerie howls: a sound we have never heard outside of PBS's Nature. Cautiously, we tiptoed into the pen…and were met with a sur- prise in the form of wet noses, wag- ging tails, and puppy kisses. That's the paradox of the wolf- dog. By nature, a wolfdog is exactly this: wolf plus dog. It retains some of its wild nature while adopting the characteristics of a family pet. "The wolf part tends to be shy with strangers, cautious, curious, intel- ligent, playful, watchful, and ener- getic... They are almost always very loving and loyal to their 'family' pack," Hodanish said. "The dog part will have behavior reflective of that particular breed in the mix. So every wolfdog is different." A common misconception is that breeding a wild wolf with a dog cre- ates a wolfdog. Although this is physically possible, today's wolfdogs are the result of two wolfdogs bred together over a long period of time. This practice has an interesting his- tory. According to Hodanish, most domestic wolfdogs can trace their lineage back to the fur farms of the 1950s. Fur traders bred wolves for their pelts and also sold them to zoos, exhibitions, and the gen- eral public. Private owners bred the wolves with dogs to create wolfdogs. "Wolf pelts were not very valuable, and these commercial breeders no longer exist; however, many of these private owners still breed wolfdogs," Hodanish said. So, how does a person with a regu- lar, nine-to-five job end up being the keeper of a pack of wolfdogs? It all started with one stray. In the 1980s, Hodanish was living in Arizona and took in a lost dog that was visiting his carport every night. "It acted dif- ferently…it really didn't seem like it was a dog," Hodanish said. When it Laura Webber Kerwin Laura Webber Kerwin "That's the spot!" Naiche eats up the attention from visitors.

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