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Years ago when my kids were little we visited Jim Pecks Wildlife in Minocqua, Wisconsin. They had the cutest little blue wolf pups for sale and I almost adopted one. Thank God common sense took over; because even though they looked all cuddly and cute they are animals of the wild and could be dangerous. Wolves have always fascinated me they are such a beautiful animal and so intelligent. I’m a member of our Milwaukee County Zoological Society and visit the zoo quite often. When visiting I always make a point of going to check out the wolves, but unfortunately I’ve yet to see one, seems their always hiding; I might have seen a tail of one once. After reading an article in a local newspaper I was surprised to find out we had a Timber Wolf farm right here in Milwaukee County. I was really surprised, I’ve lived here all my life and never heard of such a place; this has to be the best kept secret in town. So I decided to check it out. On a Saturday afternoon, my son Dan, his wife Stacy and my one year old grandson, Chris and I took a trip to Greendale to visit the farm. The area is kind of secluded in a well wooded area and is really kind of pretty. When you first enter the farm you’re greeted by Thor, this beautiful alpha male wolf who seems to feel that he’s responsible for greeting the visitors. His living quarters is fenced in and contains a huge rock and shelter with plenty of space to roam. I was thrilled I’m finally seeing a wolf and close up; he was beautiful. We took the tour they offer and got to visit a total of thirteen wolves and learned a little history of each one. All of them had a large area where they survive and a shelter that we were told they hardly ever use, except to maybe hide from humans. There were generally two wolves per area. It was obvious these wolves were treated well. In captivity they live an average of fourteen years where in the wild they are lucky to live to seven. Nancy gave us permission to come in on a Friday early in the morning to tape the wolves for a special Viewers Voice TV Show. She personally gave us a tour for the show and besides giving us a personal history of each wolf told us many interesting stories she’s encountered with them. I found Nancy to be a remarkable lady, dedicated to giving these wolves a loving environment and treating them like they were her kids. During the tour she would go up to each wolf and scratch their neck or back, and talk to them with great respect. To a few of them she would put a peppermint between her teeth and they would gently take it out of her mouth. By the way it has to be a Braches mint or they won’t eat it. You could feel the love and respect the wolves had for Nancy. The wolves were especially active the morning we taped and we came away with an excellent show. It was almost like they knew they were going to be on TV. I had such a great time I came back another day and joined the Timber Wolf Preservation Society and adopted a wolf. The fellow I picked was Dakota a beautiful male with an attitude. Unfortunately since I adopted the big guy he has had an accident and lost mobility in his back legs. He hasn’t lost his spirit and manages to still get around. Hopefully he will be alright. I also have three grandchildren, Alli, Skye, and Kelly that have adopted a wolf. Alli, whose ten years old, picked Mona a female, Skye, seven years old, picked Timber Wolf Jim and Kelly, 8 years old, adopted Angel. They loved the idea of adopting a wolf and intend to visit them often. The best part of adopting is all the money goes to food and medicine for these animals. Nancy was telling me that arthritis is a big problem with her wolves. Around seven years of age they start to develop stiffness in their back and legs and that’s probably why they only survive to around seven when they live in the wild. This is a big expense at the farm since most of the thirteen wolves are over seven years old and are on medication. If you’re a fan of wolves you’re going to want to go to this Timber Wolf Farm and see for yourself how neat it is. It’s located south of Southridge Mall at 6669 So. 76th Street in Greendale. The farm is only open on Saturdays and Sundays, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Nancy makes exception for group tours during the week; phone: 414-425-6107/424-8264 to make a reservation. Admission is $3.00 per adult and $1.00 for children. All proceeds go for food and medication for the wolves. You can buy a membership in The Timber Wolf Preservation Society for $20. You can also buy some neat wolf souvenirs in their gift shop. Until my next column let your voice be heard. |
I’d
like to take a break from television in this column and instead tell you about
something that has become very dear to me. By now anyone who reads my column
knows I’m an animal lover. I have three dogs, one cat and two pet rabbits; and
they are my babies. 
I
was really impressed with how well this farm was run and wanted to meet the
person who was in charge. I thought it would be neat to do a TV show on these
fascinating creatures and I would need permission to do so. I was introduced to
Nancy Dowler, the lady who is President of the Timber Wolf Preservation Society
and who runs the farm. She informed me that Jim Rieder was the original founder
of the society, when he passed on Nancy was left in charge. Jim taught Nancy
everything she needed to know about how to care for the wolves.