Farewell Fenrir

Six years ago, in the summer of 2018, we rescued a pack of six wolf pups. They were small and wild and full of energy, learning everything they could about their new world. We got to know their personalities and fell in love with each of them for their own unique qualities. Fenrir especially touched our hearts deeply. We had hoped to watch all of them grow to a very old age, but that was not to be. Our beloved Fenrir left us on Thursday May 23, 2024.

Fen grew up surrounded by the love of his siblings. He and his brother Shiloh were the largest of the six, but he was a gentle giant. It was clear that he relied on his family for comfort and for safety. On their first day in their new forest home, as they all bounded around sniffing and scent marking and frolicking through the brush, Fenrir became briefly separated and was unable to see his siblings. He was only alone for a moment, but it frightened him and he let out a small piercing worried howl calling them back to find him. They bounded around the corner and he ran to them and was off to frolic with them once more.

As time passed, his sisters had a few arguments over the years and the pack was separated. A few of the siblings went off to live separate lives in nearby enclosures. Fen remained with his sisters Vivian and Violet and the three were inseparable. He was silly and goofy and he loved to play. At breakfast, though he was a large wolf, he would hide behind the skinniest tree and jump out to pounce at his sisters as they ran past. He would get bursts of energy at times and he also greatly enjoyed napping and laying about, but if his sisters came along to tease him, he would never deny them playtime. The sisters will deeply miss their brother’s fun and lively presence.

Having grown up in the presence of humans, Fen was quite friendly with his caretakers. He greeted his favorite humans with an open love, a silly grin, and a coy, playful paw as he sauntered over and flopped on the grass for a belly rub. He was sweet and loving with a big heart that was evident to all who knew him.

We never imagined that we would only have six short years with Fen. This spring, Fen began to exhibit some concerning symptoms. His face became swollen. At first it was just a small area near his mouth, but it continued to grow as the days passed. As soon as we detected the early swelling, we tried several different treatment plans, however, nothing helped and the swelling continued to worsen. We scheduled a CT scan Thursday May 23, in an attempt to further investigate a cause and hopefully find a treatment for him. During his CT scan, the doctor saw that his lymph nodes around his neck were very swollen and he had a mass in his chest and fluid in his lungs. She biopsied the lymph nodes as well as the mass in his chest and after a quick analysis the doctors determined that Fen had lymphoma (cancer of the lymphatic system) which had been causing his swelling. While under anesthesia, Fen took a turn for the worse and though the team of nurses and doctors did everything that they could for him it was not to be, our beloved Fenrir passed away.

Fen’s absence at the sanctuary has left a hole in our hearts. His big, open heart and uplifting personality brought joy to anyone he met. We take comfort in knowing that he was good natured and happy up to the end and that though we will miss his large personality so much, we will hold his memory forever in our hearts.

Farewell Fenrir, we will greatly miss your big beautiful soul and your bright, joyful spirit. We will never forget you, big guy.

IN LOVING MEMORY FENRIR OF SPEEDWELL
Born April 24, 2018, Rescued June 20, 2018, Died May 23, 2024