For centuries, wolves have remained mysterious and often feared creatures of the wilderness that are better avoided than engaged. That all changed for one small suburban Alaskan community though in 2003 when a lone jet black wolf walked out of the woods to investigate a man and his dog.
This is the story of Romeo, a wolf that made a lasting impact on everyone who met him.
Nick Jans wasn’t looking for a wolf, but a wolf found him.
Nick Jans had lived in Alaska for decades and was familiar with the Alaskan landscape and knew that wolves came with the territory. Encounters with them weren’t commonplace, however, which made one snowy afternoon with his dog Dakotah unlike any other.
Nick was sitting on his porch with Dakotah when out of nowhere a black wolf emerged from the woods.
Dakotah bolted over to the wolf.
Before Nick had a chance to grab Dakotah by the collar, she was off the porch like a lightning bolt and running towards the wolf. The dog either wanted to greet the newcomer for a round of play or was ready to defend her master from an intruder. Either way, Nick was instantly concerned for Dakotah’s safety.
What happened next he never saw coming.
Wolves are incredibly territorial.
A wolf pack is a delicate social hierarchy with a male leader of the pack who dominates over all the other wolves. It’s not uncommon for younger beta males to challenge the leader for higher ranking in the pack and when wolves encounter another wolf that’s not a member of the pack, fights to the death often ensue.
Nick was terrified that this wolf would either see Dakotah as prey or an enemy that must be killed.
Dakotah inched closer to the black intruder.
The hair on Nick Jans’ neck raised up as his dog Dakotah inched ever closer to the black wolf. Poor Dakotah looked so much smaller when compared to the much larger wild animal. Nick was prepared for the worst, but neither animal showed any sign of aggression. In fact, the two sniffed each other and then began to play “as if each were glimpsing an almost-forgotten face and trying to remember,” Nick recalled.
Nick Jans ran inside to get his camera.
Nick still was feeling anxious about the encounter his dog was having with a wild wolf, but ran back inside to tell his wife Sherrie and grab his camera. This was a moment that he had to document because it may never happen again.
The domesticated dog and the wild wolf played for several moments while Nick snapped photos and then the wolf disappeared back into the woods.
It wouldn’t’ be the last time Dakotah encountered the black wolf.
Soon, Nick noticed the large black wolf coming around the area more often. When it appeared his dog Dakotah would whine to go outside and play with her new friend.
Being that the wolf was beginning to become somewhat of a familiar face, the couple thought it only proper that it had a name. Sherrie thought that Romeo seemed like a good fit.
Romeo begins to meet other dogs in the area too.
Romeo was without a doubt, 100 percent wild wolf and Nick made sure to never try and get too close to the animal when it played with Dakotah. When Nick and Sherrie took Dakotah to the nearby Mendenhall Glacier Park to socialize with other pups in the area, Romeo also showed up.
Just because Romeo and Dakotah got along though, there was no guarantee that the wolf would be friendly to the other dogs.
The other dogs and their owners warmed up to Romeo.
Nick and Sherrie were nervous about how a wild wolf would interact with a bunch of dogs it had never seen before. Much to their relief, though, Romeo wasn’t aggressive to the other dogs. It seemed like Dakotah had given her wild friend a boost of confidence and now it was excited to meet a bunch of new canine friends.
As for the dog owners, well, at first not everyone was excited to see a wild wolf interacting with dogs.
The other dog owners were understandably wary of Romeo.
When Romeo first showed up, many of the dog owners were nervous about the safety of themselves and their pets. Romeo was twice the size of any other dog at the park, yet never hurt any of the pets. Eventually, most of the other dog owners became accustomed to Romeo and their nerves subsided. He had become a welcomed and familiar face.
Romeo becomes a regular in the community.
Over the next six years, Romeo would return to the area each fall and winter to play with his friends. Nick said that the wolf would even bring out toys that he’d stashed. One was a Styrofoam float. Romeo would pick it up and bring it to [my friend] Harry to throw.”
The wolf may have been a distant cousin of the dogs at the park, but he clearly expressed similar behaviors and fit right in with the other canines.
