On quiet evenings near Red Feather Lakes, a rolling chorus of howls drifts across the mountain valley. This music comes not from wild creatures, but from animals who have finally found peace: rescued wolf-dogs living out their days in safety at the W.O.L.F. (Wolves Offered Life and Friendship) Sanctuary.

The sanctuary provides lifelong care for wolf-dogs – bred from captive wolves and domestic dogs – that can’t be released into the wild or cared for by their former owners. As Colorado moves forward with gray    wolf reintroduction, the wolf-dog residents at W.O.L.F. are not candidates for release.

Founded in 1995, W.O.L.F. Sanctuary’s work centers on care for its animals, public education and facilitating rescues across the country. Some residents were bred in captivity; others arrived from neglect or the exotic pet trade. Together, each animal highlights that wolves belong to the wild, not the backyard.

For years, W.O.L.F. operated at a remote, off-grid site in Rist Canyon near Fort Collins. In 2023, the sanctuary relocated to a new home near Red Feather Lakes, where residents now look out to the Mummy Range from habitats of boulders and open sky. Enclosures built for bonded pairs give them room for running, playing and, when the mood strikes, singing to the forest.

Executive Director Shelley Coldiron knows each of them by name and temperament. Before joining W.O.L.F., she worked as a biotech entrepreneur, but her lifelong devotion to animals eventually led her here. She began volunteering in 2010, joined the board the following year and helped evacuate animals to her home in Loveland during the devastating High Park Fire in 2012. Once she stepped in as interim director, Coldiron never left.

Now she oversees the sanctuary that cares for these wolf dogs, each paired thoughtfully based on age and personality. “We like to joke that we play Cupid,” she said. “The females are the ones in charge – they’re the boss. We could learn a                 lot from a pack of wolves.”

Kira, for example, is known as the sanctuary’s best digger. “She could dig to China if she wanted to,” Coldiron said, with a laugh. “She’s always smiling and makes our caretakers laugh.” Castiel, rescued from Los Angeles in 2016, was named after an angel on the show Supernatural – a nod to his second chance at life. His best friend, Trigger, rarely leaves his side. Then there’s Zoey, a striking white wolf-dog with a mischievous streak; she spends her days stealing gloves, basking in the sun and splashing in her water trough before dinnertime.

While sanctuary life is peaceful, W.O.L.F.’s mission reaches far beyond its fences. Through school visits and community programs, they educate the public about unregulated breeding, the sale of wolf-dogs and wolves’ role in healthy ecosystems.

Ambassador animals occasionally travel to classrooms, offering students a rare, respectful encounter with the wild. The sanctuary relies almost entirely on public donations to continue providing this care and education. “Watching our residents blossom and thrive, seeing them live out their lives without a care in the world … that’s the biggest reward,” Coldiron said.

As twilight deepens over Red Feather Lakes, the chorus begins again – rising, cresting, then fading into the timberline.