Tom Pataky

Windsong: the Story of a Young Wolf Tom Pataky

Turn the pages and the story of a young wolf unfolds as she tries to live among dogs and adjust to the world of human beings. Windsong was born of wolf parents in a small kennel in Oregon and always saw her father on chains. She and her litter mates were sold to well intentioned people who wanted to save wolves single handed, or they wanted something different, unusual, something trendy as a pet, trying to help the cause of an endangered animal without understanding the nature of the wolf. She had to move around because she hated confinement, tried to obtain more freedom then dogs usually do. Her life intertwines with the life of Csupi, an old dog at the end of her life and with with a young pup, who is trying to learn his role in the household, but has trouble remembering his name. Fences got in the way of her freedom as she followed wolf traditions, howling at the moon, greeting the leaders of her pack every morning with presents and that gesture led to disaster one morning. It is easy to shed tears as the final good-bye of this noble animal makes you turn the pages with exaggerated slowness, while realizing the difficulties of parceling out freedom to wild animals like pieces of land all fenced in.