Wolf - pencil sketch

11 x 14

Wolves are my favorite subject.

I read a book by Shaun Ellis, "The Man Who Lives With Wolves". He tells a story when he worked at a wildlife center in England. One day a man came with his 14 year old son. He was mentally and physically disabled and in a wheelchair. The father said he heard where children could interact with the wolves and he wanted his son to meet one. Shaun was hesitant and asked if the son would be able to indicate when he no longer wanted the wolf near him. The father said "no, he won't be able to:, he has never spoken, and never reacted in any way to anything. And he has never expressed an emotion in his life". Shaun brought a wolf pup, energetic and wirey about the size of a spaniel. When the pup saw the boy he became still and looking into his eyes started licking his face. Shaun looked at the boy and "saw one single tear welling up in his right eye, then trickle slowly down his cheek". He glanced at the father, tears were streaming down his face. "In a matter of seconds, the wolf pup had gotten through to this boy in a way that no human had managed to do in fourteen years".

I love this story and wanted to share it.