Yamnuska Wolfdog Sanctuary

My friend Taylor reached out to me in January with the following text, “Sooo, tickets to Banff in May are low right now……” So, we went. Random out of the blue invitations to amazing travel destinations is definitely something I’m almost always down to entertain. We were in Banff Canada from May 19th to the 24th and the next few posts will involve pictures from that trip.

Our first full day in Banff was already planned to be low-key as we weren’t scheduled to land in Canada until about 10p after a full day of travel. After a few delays, we didn’t arrive at our Airbnb in Canmore until about 3 am. So it was good that we could just wake up whenever on Friday. When we first looked at doing this trip there was definitely one thing I absolutely wanted to do and that was to visit the Yamnuska Wolf Dog Sanctuary about halfway between Calgary and Canmore. It meant we had to backtrack a bit but we didn’t mind since it was pitch black on the way up and this gave us our first glimpse of the mountains.

The sanctuary was created in 2011 to provide public awareness and education about Wolfdogs. The Sanctuary came to be after the founder got her first Wolfdog and came to realize the special needs and challenges that raising and caring for such an animal would entail. The sanctuary rescues Wolfdogs from ill-prepared or dangerous breeding situations or individuals who obtained one thinking it would be like owning any other dog. Many of the Wolfdogs were not treated well and tend to be very wary of human interaction. For this reason, most of the rules, and the safety releases we signed, are positioned far more for the comfort and well-being of the animals than for the humans allowed into their enclosures. A couple of photos seem to show a menacing appearance in the Wolfdogs, but it’s really just a moment in time. The animals were, as advertised, timid, shy, curious and very calm. I cannot overstate the beautiful nature of these animals and if you find yourself anywhere near the sanctuary I highly encourage you to go check it out.

The Sanctuary relies on various forms of income but also heavily on private donations. If you would like to donate follow this link: Yamnuska Wolfdog Sanctuary Donations

Location: 51°14'11.004" N 114°37'40.608" W

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Camera Body: Canon EOS R3

Camera Lens: Canon RF 100-500 f7.1

View and purchase photos from this feed on my website: medic1photography.com

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Bessie

We had the distinct pleasure of hosting little Bessie this past weekend. A new puppy of Chelsea’s parents, Bessie is ridiculously adorable and a complete joy to spend time with. Bessie met her older nephews, splashed around in the water bowl (until we found her a pool to play in) and had fun exploring the house. 

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