Shy Wolf Sanctuary, Home Base Florida help veterans in unique way

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The Shy Wolf Sanctuary Education and Experience Center joined forces with Home Base Florida to offer a unique experience to veterans.

Veterans participated in an educational encounter with rescued animals.

“If you think about it, wolf dogs are kind of between two worlds. They’re not fully domesticated dogs, they’re not wolves, like the wild wolves, and veterans can sometimes feel that way too. Like they’re between deployment and civilized life,” Deanna Deppen said, executive director of Shy Wolf Sanctuary.

The Shy Wolf Sanctuary is a safe place for animals and veterans who have gone through traumatic experiences in their life.

Peyton Demay served in the Navy from 2014 – 2021. Demay is now an education outreach specialist for the military and veteran success program at FGCU.

“It really gives me a good feeling that a lot of humans do care about wildlife and do care about giving these animals a home when they’re not able to go back out into the wild, so coming and helping really gives me a sense of purpose,” Demay said.

“No matter what challenges we face in life, we all have some situation that we need to learn to trust and believe in people again, and the animals can help bridge that gap,” Deppen said.

This is not a one-day deal. Veterans interested can assist Shy Wolf staff in repairing and maintaining animal enclosures.

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