I can’t believe summer is over – where did it go? Everyone at the Inn is just fine.  The three grumpy old men, Mohawk, Chief, and Sundance, are all still with us.  The vet was here for her annual visit and was amazed at how well they are doing, relatively.  We did start the three in Rimadyl to see if it would help with arthritis pain.  As there did not seem to be any change or improvement, we discontinued it.  Chief is showing his age more than the others.  He can no longer shed his coat, so he suffered through the heat of the summer with a full winter coat, poor guy.  He is also gaining belly weight, which is a sign that either his heart, liver, or kidneys are starting to fail.  All this is to be expected with a wolf that is 15 ½ years old!  We are taking it day-by-day.

The past several weeks we have had to deal with a lot of smoke from fires in the area and Idaho. For the most part it has not seemed to bother the wolves.  However, one night the smoke got particularly intense and Mohawk got wigged out.  He “ran” the enclosure several times before literally diving into the den.  I don’t think he has been in the den in years!  He wouldn’t come out, even for meat night. Fortunately, we got a good rain storm over night which cleared out the smoke, and Mohawk was back to normal.

The younger wolves are in their prime!  Comanche and Kiowa, the alphas are looking great. Sekani, the three year old female has become the Omega of the pack. We don’t enjoy seeing Kiowa discipline her and keep her in her place, but it is a necessary part of pack life.  The two brothers, affectionately referred to as Frick and Frack, are still growing. Tahoe is a goof, very playful and affectionate.  Chinook is very stand-offish.  He is going to be a large wolf when he finishes growing. He takes a long time to warm up to people, even us, but eventually, if we are patient, he will come over and give us a quick kiss or nibble our hair!  All five are currently enjoying a fresh deer, so they all smell rather fragrant!

We hope you all had a great summer.  Thanks for checking in!

TTFN.