Wolves Are the New Lap Dogs

The Seacrest Wolf Preserve offers a one-of-a-kind experience: a visit to the wolf’s world. For a few hours, I became part of the wolf pack, and those wolves welcomed me with open paws.

Before entering wolf territory, here’s what you need to know:

• Wolves give muzzle greetings. Just like a dog. They want to lick and maybe even softly bite your face.
• Wolves also like to greet your hands…with their mouths. Think of it as a handshake….with teeth.
• No quick or sharp movements. It’ll scare the wolves. (Really? I’m going to scare a wolf?)
• No loose items allowed except your disposable camera.
• Wolves like hoodies. Hoods are toys.

This is Koko (but let’s spell it as “Cocoa”). Isn’t she gorgeous? I love her. I wanted her to come home with me. I’m pretty sure the feeling was mutual.

In the first wolf pack, I got to pet Kiowa and Teton, and I thought, “That’s it. I petted a wolf.” I even turned to Princess and said, “Mission accomplished. 30 Before 30 item completed.” 

How was I to know these wolves would take my experience one step further?

Upon visiting the second wolf pack, Cocoa gave me a muzzle greeting, played with my hoodie, and then made herself at home on my lap.

ON MY LAP.

And there she sat while I petted her with one hand and she lightly gnawed on my other hand. It was like she was teething. Her light biting didn’t hurt at all.

Cocoa sat on my lap for a few minutes. It seemed like an eternity. I loved every second of it.

After visiting with Cocoa, we headed over to see the Seacrest puppies. Only they weren’t so puppish any more. We weren’t allowed inside with them because they were so rambunctious.

Next up was Spirit’s pack: the Arctic wolves. One wolf, Celeste, was particularly excited to see us. She made the rounds and greeted everyone in our group.

The wolf encounter was amazing. Not only did I get the physical interaction with the wolves, it was also a nice mix of education (I learned that wolves are a keystone species) and personalized stories (one Seacrest wolf can flat foot jump an 8-foot fence).

If you’re in FL (or even if you’re not), I’d recommend checking out the wolves. It was $15, and I spent about 2.5-3 hours in the wolf enclosures.

It was truly an unforgettable and one-of-a-kind experience that I’ll never forget…and can’t wait to do again!