Wolf Connection has been invited to participate in a very sacred gathering …

The International Council of Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers is holding their 11^th Council Gathering in Lame Deer, Montana at the end of July.  This special event is the culmination of The Ride Home, a 1,400 mile horseback ride in Remembrance of the Cheyenne Exodus of 1878.

“The International Council of Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers represents a global alliance of prayer, education and healing for the earth, all Her inhabitants, all the children, and for the next seven generations to come.  They bring together a wealth of sacred wisdom from world-wide traditions that honors intuition and spirit in a way that is often absent from daily life.  The purpose of the ride and Council is for generational healing, and a uniting between tribes to become one tribe – of humankind.”

-The grandmothers with the Dalai Lama-

As a non-Native American organization, It is a privilege to be invited to such an event. Both the grandmothers and event organizers felt that the long history of collaboration between wolf and man also needed to be part of this gathering.  We are honored that they felt that our human and wolf pack is a worthy representative of this important and unique bond. 

On July 16^th, five staff members and six members of our pack will be journeying to meet the horse riders in South Dakota to travel the last 110 miles of The Ride Home, and arrive at Lame Deer, Montana together to participate in the Council. As you can imagine, this is a huge logistic undertaking!

Now we are faced with the challenge of insufficient funding. We have less than 30 days to meet the budget we need to make this trip happen since it is beyond our resources at this time. The full trip will cost over $18,000, this includes the trailer needed to safely and effectively transport the animals and crew 3,000 miles round trip (though wolf-hunting states), vehicle maintenance, food and lodging, fuel, propane, and medical/mechanical eventualities. The entire trip will take 16 days and we will be returning to California on August 1^st.

This event is very important to us and to the community at large. Please help us make it happen.

Here are some of the ways you can help us;

-   Go to the column on the right and make a donation –any amount helps.

-   If you know anybody willing to donate a toy hauler or travel trailer 28’ or longer, bumper hitch, that would reduce out budget considerably.

-   Tell everybody about this, you never know who can help the most.

Have you and/or your friends take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to come with us …

YES, we are opening two seats on our caravan for two people ...

... that are willing to finance the trip. Each seat is $10,000. You’ll get to travel with us and the wolves as part of the crew, participate in the sacred Ride Home, and participate in the five-day council with the Grandmothers.

Here are some links for your consideration:

For more information about the Council of Thirteen Indigenous Gradmothers please visit

http://www.grandmotherscouncil.org/

Here is the link to the Council in Montana

http://www.grandmotherscouncil.org/Montana/Montana.html

This is a trailer of a documentary about them called "For the Next 7 Generations"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIUdkSYbEhk 

And here is a video from their first meeting

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAvlrJskWAk 

For more Information about The ride Home please visit http://www.wildhorserescue.org/ridehome.pdf

THE JOURNEY:

THE PACK AND CREW:

Renee & Miko

Renee has shown a wisdom and love of all creatures since she was very young.  Her ability to connect and read animals is a profound gift that enables her to effectively handle and train them, recognizing their limitations and expanding their abilities to be comfortable and perform in programs.  She has used these gifts to enable to Miko to become a secure animal who can connect to strangers effortlessly.

Miko came to us from private owners, and the Wolf Connection environment was extremely challenging for her initially.  She came from a very protected environment in which she rarely interacted with humans and never interacted with other canids, aside from her kennel-mate Cloud.  At first she was quite stressed when we had public events, pacing or hiding at the back of her kennel.  Over time she has become more and more comfortable and now loves to go hiking with strangers and getting patted, rubbed and scratched by new people.

Wes & Maya

Wes felt a deep bond with wolves long before he ever came to Wolf Connection, and has shown a kinship with the natural world.  His calm and sensitive nature enables him to remain grounded and handle the animals even in challenging situations.  One of his gifts is that animals that are otherwise afraid of males are often comfortable with him.  Such is the case with Maya who learned to be comfortable with males, partially through Wes’ spending time with her.

Maya has a history that led her to become extremely skittish and timid with all humans, especially with males.  The love, care and training she has received in the Wolf Connection pack has taught her to be comfortable and secure with strangers.  She has become one of our primary program animals and has been able to connect to new people in a variety of situations, remaining loving and comfortable.

Chelsea & Lucas

Chelsea has a deep understanding of and connection to the natural world, present from her early childhood.  She easily becomes bonded to new animals instantly, and has a wisdom and sensitivity in her presence and interaction with them that enables our pack to feel comfortable and safe in her presence.  She is especially bonded to Lucas, who is one of our most sensitive animals.

Lucas has had a varied life, coming from an apartment in San Francisco, to a dog rescue in Agua Dulce, finally to our sanctuary in Acton.  He has grown immensely since becoming a part of Wolf Connection, where Chelsea and others took time and love to train him, comfort him and give him security.  One of the major tasks was for Lucas to learn that there were other ways to interact with people than wrestling – an unfortunate habit he picked up along the way.  This beautiful animal is considered to be a healing wolf because of the unusual silver blue color of his eyes and he has learned to be very loving to humans.

Natasha & Willow

Natasha has worked with a variety of exotic animals since childhood, but developed a special love for the wolf during a trip to Yellowstone.  She came back from the trip knowing that she needed to work with wolves.  As often happens, when the time was right, she found her way to Wolf Connection.  More than 2 years later she has developed deep bonds with the animals, enriching her life and deepening her connection to the earth in profound ways.  The first time she laid eyes on Willow she knew that she had met the wolf of her heart.

Willow is a 2-year-old beauty who came from a very loving home.  Unfortunately, her owner was unable to keep her as a result of economic difficulties.  Playful, loving and with an earth wisdom present in her golden eyes, Willow is becoming comfortable with new people and situations as she takes her place in our pack.

                                                                  

THANK YOU FOR HELPING US MAKE THIS JOURNEY POSSIBLE!!

Teo Alfero and the Wolf Connection Team

 

If you have any questions you can also call us at 661-450-8191