Obsidian

Obsidian was bought from a roadside zoo as a pet by a well-meaning family from New Mexico who raised him with four other German Shepherds in their suburban backyard. As he grew the fence to their yard quickly turned out to not be big enough and Obsidian was getting out into the surrounding neighborhood, chasing cats and rummaging through trash. Knowing we provide sanctuary to canines like him, they reached out to Mission: Wolf and luckily, we had enough space to take him in.

At first, the hustle and bustle of life at the sanctuary seemed to be a lot as he constantly paced around the enclosure, tail tucked tight against his body. The stress showed—he didn’t eat for several days. Staff worked for weeks to get him comfortable, giving him space and practicing pressure/release techniques to help him adjust. Meanwhile, he picked up the nickname “Pogo” because he would jump and get his head over 10 feet in the air to watch Mike’s truck drive in each morning. That meant breakfast was coming.

Over time through persistent work with staff, he started to understand his new home was a safe place where he could relax. One of the best nights for staff was hearing his first howls, ringing out with a deep bass that seemed to shake the building next to him. We are very glad Obsidian made his home at Mission: Wolf. It seems every week his comfort grows. He seems to enjoy being around his caretakers even if he insists on acting like he’s not paying attention or looking at them. We hope he’ll keep growing into his comfort zone and continue to be a teacher for staff and visitors for years to come.