My sister & I had a fantastic experience visiting Yamnuska Wolfdog Sanctuary last week!
There are 3 tours available; Interactive Tour, Sanctuary Walk and Intro Tour.
We booked our Interactive Tour (minimum age is 15 years old) on line a day in advance. They allow up to 10 guests maximum and there was only 4 spots left when we booked - it was full when we arrived for our tour. You will be emailed the rules when you book & need to sign a waiver as well. With winter approaching, note that part of the dress code includes no fur, faux fur (including sheepskin) as well as no down/feather coats or trims (even on boots/mittens). You cannot carry a purse or anything with straps either so the clerk at the front desk held our purses for us while on our tour.
The sanctuary is closed on Tuesday and Wednesdays. We were there Friday and chose the 12 noon tour time (daily 10:30, noon, 2pm and 3:30 pm). Arrive about 15 minutes head to get checked in, at which time you've given a wrist band and a map of the property/enclosures.
After a briefing of the rules/guidelines while in the enclosure, our guide brought our group into the enclosure, where chairs were in place for us to sit. After she brought out treats, some of the wolfdogs slowly made their way to our area. She explained in great detail, the purpose and history of the sanctuary, as well as the various wolfdogs. She was extremely passionate about her the dogs and the role of the sanctuary. The wolfdogs have varying amount of wolf content, from low to high, with the highest of the current 35 dogs at 97%.
We were all handed treats and the dogs did come up to us to sniff us, even a couple of licks on our pants! We could toss the treats onto the ground or they even took from the palm of your hand!
We spent just over 1 hour with the wolfdogs and our guide, with questions encouraged (which we did). After leaving the enclosure, we went over to another enclosure where an employee was providing daily enrichment to the pack (bones with meat) - it was really interesting to watch that. We were then free to explore the property, which was well marked, explaining where the dogs came from and other information.
Take some time to review the website and pick which tour is best for you (as well as all the rules and regulations for safety of both the guests and dogs) - I recommend the Interactive Tour, then explore the grounds on your own. We poked in the gift shop as well, where all proceeds of items purchased to directly towards caring for the wolfdogs and future rescues (and you can make a donation).
A short drive from Calgary (or 1 hour from Banff), it was always something I wanted to experience and was excited to go when my sister brought it up after staying in Canmore for a couple of nights.
Highly recommend you experience this and support these rescued animals!
