The conditions were reportedly not good where the animals came from.  Nancy agreed to take in the two pups, feeling that one of our recent elder rescues (a wolfdog named Timka) needed a purpose and raising the pups would give her that reason to live.  Kawani and Waya were handled daily by volunteers and guests until they became large enough to say "NO!" to the undesired attentions.  They are two wolfdogs that "should" fall into the "adoptable" category but demonstrate that no amount of socilization can force an animal to be something it is not. 

Many wolfdogs are sold as pups, bond with their "pack" or family, but never trust strangers.  A lot of these animals end up in rescue at 6 months, 12 months or 18 months of age when the owners (who have no problems with the perfectly behaved animal) get tired of not being able to go on vacation or leave.  These animals cannot be boarded, left with friends, or even left at home with a "sitter" checking on them.  They will not eat from strangers and cannot be walked in public due to their intense fears of strangers and strange situations.  

There is no way to determine if a pup will be social or not with strangers as an adult, but if the parents are social then there is at least a better chance of this being the case.  We recommend adopting rather than buying so that you know what the animal's personality and behaviors are going to be as an adult.  Many good young animals come into rescue but are at an age where personality can be determined.  If someone must have a pup and insists on getting a wolfdog pup, we would stress the importance of meeting the parents first hand to see if the adults are social animals.  Get references, vet references, boarding references…know what you expect of that animal and make a commitment to it for its entire life.  Kawani is a great girl and absolutely happy with her pack but she would not fit into the vast majority of homes and would normally have been bounced around numerous times prior to ending up in rescue.