Lila Wi

We don't know the full story behind Lila Wi's original rescue, however we do know she and her six siblings were born to Ahyoka and Wikisa in the mountains of New Mexico in the spring of 1999. While the puppies were very small the entire family was moved to the North American Wolf Association (NAWA) in Conroe, TX. There the pups were said to be hand raised in hopes of keeping them very social to humans. It was there she was given the name Lila Wi, which is the Lakota word for beautiful woman.

By late January, 2003 the NAWA sanctuary was closed and personnel from Indigo Mountain and W.O.L.F. were brought in to help care for the animals and eventually place them.  A number of the wolfdogs had become gravely ill, and a number of them had perished due to a distemper outbreak.  NAWA Volunteers told us that Lila Wi and Wascin had been very sick with respiratory distemper but they had miraculously pulled through. However, Lila Wi still suffered from visual disorientation and a facial tick. During the initial trip to Texas we found Lila Wi to be a little shy and distrustful. We also found her to be very sick, full of parasites and running a 104.4º temperature. She was slightly improved by our second visit and relocated to a healthier environment in Texas to continue her rehabilitation.

In August 2003 Lila Wi and the rest of the NAWA survivors were relocated one final time to their new home at Indigo Mountain. The vets found her to be in much better health at that time. She had put on 10 pounds and her vision seemed to be much improved although she still showed some signs of a facial tick.

Once we got past the initial distrust Lila Wi was the first of the NAWA animals to approach us for attention. It wasn't long after that first touch that "Wi" was running her sister, Wascin away so she could get all the attention from her caregivers.

They settled into their new routine and did amazingly well for the next year and a half when Wascin began to have trouble with her eyesight and became aggressive to her sister. At that time the two animals had to be separated for their own safety. We introduced Lila Wi to a low content coydog named Nacona and they got along famously. Nacona pulled what little shyness Lila Wi had left right out.

Sadly, Nacona died of cancer in August 2006 and Lila Wi was once again left alone. We stepped up the one-on-one attention to give her more companionship for the next few months and once we felt she was ready for a new companion we introduced her to Taza, our gentle giant. They quickly became the best of friends and their bond continues to grow to this day.

Click on the Texas Rescue to learn more about the NAWA rescue