Tok

In the spring of 2003 we were alerted to a situation in Indiana. A backyard breeder had bred a brother and sister pair of high content arctic - great pyrenees wolfdogs and had failed to line up homes for the litter prior to breeding. With few, if any, prospects the breeder turned to a rescuer for help in placing the puppies and she then contacted us.

We had arranged to arrive the day the puppies were pulled from the mother to ensure that he had every chance at a good start in life and excellent socialization. What we found on arrival was a little disconserting. Arctic wolves and high content arctic wolfdogs are born a charcoal color. We found no conformity in the litter, and oddly enough two of the puppies were a piebald coloration. The tight, brother to sister in-breeding may be the cause for the odd coloration or there may very well be a piebald great pyrenees in the pedigree. All attempts to trace the lines have run into roadblocks so we will likely never know.

We were also concerned that the little pups might have severe malocclusion due to inbreeding of the parents. Fortunately, as Tok developed we found his pearly whites to be perfect. However, he did go through a rough period early in puppyhood. We battled round, whip and hookworm infestations for quite some time. That was not surprising given the conditions we found the kennels in. 

The pup was aptly named Tok after the Athabascan word for center of peace. Tok was a joy to raise. He was sweet, outgoing and friendly with everyone. Today, Tok is still very much the same friendly boy he was as a puppy.

In 2012 Tok was diagnosed with bone cancer in his front leg and had to go through surgery to amputate the leg to save his life.  He is now recovering and adjusting to life as a tripawd.

Click on the Indiana Rescue to learn more about Tok’s rescue