Once upon a time there was a big wolf hybrid named Dakota.  Tip to tail he’s about 6’4″ and the sweetest thing ever.  He has a sister, Cheyenne, who is smaller and lighter in color.  People seem to go to her more because she favors their 25% Siberian Husky ancestry in looks more than their 75% Canadian Timberwolf blood.  Dakota may look like the big bad wolf but he is all Texas dawg.  He has a penchant for giving kisses and he won’t rest until you get one … whether you want it or not.  And he has a little girl whom he adores.  From the moment she came home from the hospital he has lovingly watched over her.  I remember his huge head was bigger than her entire body and he would carefully place it beside her while she slept.  She was literally nestled to sleep next to the powerful jaws of a wolf.  Wolves are family oriented, gentle creatures and it is a shame people still fear them.  My daddy used to say you cannot argue with someone whose mind is made up.  But I still hope Cheyenne and Dakota are helping in some small way to change that.  If you are out somewhere on a walk don’t freak out because you see a coyote.  That poor critter is just trying to live its life in peace and be left alone.  Man needs to allow wildlife to live; they are essential to our planet.  The American actor Denis O’Hare said:

“When you think of Grimm’s fairy tales, they are deeply, deeply psychological.  They’re so powerful, so bloody, and really, really disturbing.  Think about five-year-olds reading that stuff.  Even ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ is a really freaky story.  Grandma is gobbled up by a wolf, and the wolf is going to eat the girl. That’s scary stuff.”

I hope and pray more people will take time to understand wildlife and their vital role in our world.  I came into my little girl’s bedroom and snapped this picture just as he was.  There, in her two story wooden “cottage” bed with flowers and vines, was Dakota.  The two bags of Pirates’ Booty were what he hunted and ate while waiting on his own Little Red Riding Hood to return from school.  As I went to open the front door I could hear his huge paws thundering down to greet us.  He sniffed her and covered her with huge wolf kisses.  And Little Red Riding Hood lived happily ever after with the big “bad” wolf.