In Memory of Shadow Hawk

[Oilwellian]

I debated posting this thread in the lounge but decided due to its subdued nature, it was more appropriate to post here in GD.

As a few of you know, my husband and I are raising two wolves...Shadow Hawk and his mate Bliss of the Hawkpack. You can see both of them here.

They live in a wonderful, fenced in domain that includes a grove of cedar trees, a big oak tree and a dry shelter with fresh straw for bedding. Tonight, Shadow is laying in his bed, very ill, and a vet is scheduled to come tomorrow and put him to sleep.

We can't begin to describe the deep sadness we feel tonight knowing this magnificent animal will not live another day. He is the alpha of his domain with Bliss, yet has always accepted my husband as the alpha of the entire family domain...or as we fondly have named it the "Hawkpack."

For the ten years we've had him, he's continually kept us in awe of the mysterious nature of wolves, and the depths of a haunting, spiritual wisdom that they carry. You could look into his eyes and never see an end, or even a beginning.

We've seen him jump 4 feet off of the ground and pluck an owl out of a tree...we've seen him stomp a black racer snake to death...we've seen him carry a 30 lb. ribcage of a deer to the corners of his domain and revel in the sense of the wild.

In contrast to the hearty beast I've described, the poor guy never got laid. For whatever reason, Bliss would NOT let him mate her each year she's come into heat. We had originally planned to mate them and raise pups but are now glad it didn't work out that way. It would have been difficult finding good homes that have the land to accomodate a wolf so we're glad we weren't faced with that problem. But still, poor Shadow...it wasn't for the lack of trying.

We worry for Bliss and how she will handle her best friend leaving her all alone. Wolves are so pack-oriented and we fully expect her to go through a grieving process for the next several weeks. Fortunately, we have a regular dog who is part shepherd that can join her, so we're hoping they can comfort each other.

I'm not really sure why I started this thread or even how to end it. I guess I wanted to pay tribute to Shadow in some small way and to wolves in general. Know that they aren't the vicious animals as portrayed in fairy tales...usually, when they see humans, they run the opposite direction and will only challenge you if you threaten their pack.

Good night my dear Shadow Hawk and may there be healthy woods for you to hunt in, and clear water for you to drink in the next place you will dwell.

And good night to my fellow DU'ers...my extended "pack."

[niyad]

1. May the Lady of the Beasts take him to Her side, gently and with love, as

he crosses to the Summerland, and may his packmates find ease and comfort, knowing he is free of pain.

thank you so much for sharing this with us.

[driver8]

11. What a beautiful post, niyad.

You said a lot with those few words.

[countmyvote4real]

2. Thanks for sharing.

I was touched by so much of what you described. I'm sorry for your loss, but I'm glad that you had so many years together.

[greyl]

3. He never had children?

That makes it extra sad. Phaedrus lives on.
http://homepages.ius.edu/MGIBBS/Laws.htm
http://www.defenders.org/waw/

[xxqqqzme]

4. Thank you for sharing.

I can feel your heartbreak. What wonderful memories you have of the magnificent Shadow Hawk.

[SoCalDem]

5. How sad for you and Bliss..

Just take comfort in knowing that you gave him a good life of comfort and attention. :hug:

[az chela]

6. Well this tore my heart apart.

I knew a man who took in wild wolves and he had one that was
as intelligent as any human.What beautiful creatures they are.
The name Shadow Hawk is so beautiful!!!!
My love and heart are with you thru this lonely journey.
Remember one thing,our animals never truly leave us,they just
go to a higher dimension

[newswolf56]

7. No one here at this wake has spoken a more apt invocation than Niyad,

and anything I might add to that and the bright blessing of your eulogy is merely a footnote. Nevertheless...

Our aboriginal kindred -- and genetics proves that whether Kawkiut or Nooksack or Lakota or Iroquois or Cherokee they truly were our kin -- all honored Wolf as guide and teacher, the ultimate incarnation of whom is the great healer invoked by thrice chanting:

Medicine Wolf
walks with him
Medicine Wolf
is his brother
Medicine Wolf
is one with him
Medicine Wolf
is his healer.

The words -- or so I am told by the woman from whom I learned them -- are an exact translation from the language of the Cheyenne, a translation so accurate it preserves even the original drum-kept meter. The pronouns and kinship -- brother or sister -- vary in accordance with the gender of the shaman and the patient.

But sometimes the only healing possible is the exit from an old form into the new.

Which is yet another lesson Wolf teaches us -- we who so desperately need to restore our ancient connection to wild and wildness and Great Holy Mystery: "the haunting spiritual wisdom they carry... never an end, or even a beginning."

Thank you so much, you and Shadow Hawk and Bliss.

[me b zola]

8. What a beautiful familial love affair

Thank you so much for sharing the spirit of Shadow Hawk with us. It sounds as though it will be quite a loss for your familial pack, and I am sorry for your loss.

Years ago when I lived in a very rural town in Missouri I adopted a feral dog that the locals were abusing because she would go through their trash searching for food. When I took her in she was pregnant. I kept two of her pups and the others I gave to the humane society hoping that they would find good homes. The mother was a loving dog, but no matter how much I fed her and her boys and cared for them, she felt the need to take them out and she taught them to hunt. It was not unusual for me to open the front door to find a rabbit that one of them had killed and left on my porch to show me their kill--then they would eat it.

Long story short, the town drunk didn't like them on his land (I think the dogs were better hunters than he) and he shot the mom & one of her boys. The boy died during the night at the vets and the mom we had to have put to sleep. I was devistated, but even more than my deep sorrow was the remaining son, we called him RD. It became apparent with RD's behavior that he needed the relationship(s) that he had with his mom and brother that humans don't often engage in with the 4-legged members of their pack. God, it seems like a lifetime ago. I began playing with him as if I were a feral dog, joining him on that level to alleviate that hole that was left in his life. In time his depression lifted, and we had bonded on an entire new level. He truly became one of the best friends that I have ever had in my life. Like most best friends, he knew what I was feeling, knew what I was thinking, and I him.

I share my story hoping that it might help you and Bliss in the grieving process. I do know that a wolf is considerably different (or are they?) than even a feral dog, so I don't know if you could "become a wolf" for her. I just know that it helped our family. It sounds as though your husband being the alpha of the entire family domain may be able to do this.

May peace & comfort be with you, for you have been blessed to have such a friend as Shadow Hawk.

[oasis]

9. A beautiful tribute. (n/t)

[Gloria]

10. Godspeed, Shadow Hawk.....

[driver8]

12. I am so sorry to hear about Shadow Hawk...he is so magnificent

and beautiful.

I'm sending good thoughts your way for Shadow Hawk, Bliss, and your family.