His name is Karma, but he didn’t always have a name. It all began so peacefully in a remote expanse in North Dakota. Although the air had a nip to it, he was safe and warm next to his mother. As he grew, he ventured outside the den at his mother’s side. He could smell the freshness in the air, drink the cool clear water, and as far as his young eyes could see, there was only the beautiful forest that was his home. He let out a little howl that echoed into the night. His mother stayed close. He was content. He could never know the cruel fate that awaited him at the hands of an enemy he didn’t even know existed.

The enemy came from Nevada. He had been arrested multiple times for poaching, but had been fined and let go. He received a slap on the wrist because, after all, they were only animals. As mothers lay dying from the cold steel bullets that ripped through their bodies, he tore away their babies.

He wanted a baby Timber Wolf. This baby wolf was destined to be his and would never again smell the freshness in the air in those North Dakota hills, never again taste the cool clear water that slipped down from the mountains, and never again know the mother who stood beside him as he howled in the cool night air.

Karma’s journey would take a desperate turn at the hands of his cruel captor. He would know only brutal savagery. He spent most of his first year of life locked in a metal tool shed. This small space was where he ate his food, urinated and defecated, and slept. There was no fresh air, no sunshine, and no place to run and play. Only the dark silence greeted him each day. Instead of learning to hunt and becoming strong and muscular, this little pup was given so little food to eat that his ribs protruded past his sunken skin and every bone on his spine was prominently sticking out of his back. But it was not enough to starve this baby—the poacher would kick him so hard with his boots that you could still see the imprints on his body weeks afterward.

Despite the darkness of his prison, a light shone through. A neighbor saw Karma and reported the poacher to Animal Control. They investigated, and the poacher was charged with animal cruelty. But what would be Karma’s fate? He had to be caged and held for the poacher’s trial, as he was now evidence. Weeks and weeks went by, seven in all. Karma lived in a small enclosure where animals all around him were put to death on a daily basis.

In one way, Karma was lucky. You see, because Karma was a wolf and animal control agencies do not place wolves for adoption, Karma would have been immediately killed at the hands of animal control personnel but for the fact that he was evidence and had to be kept alive. So there was time. The question was: would there be a miracle?

About that time, a young couple visited the area where Karma was held. They stood in shock looking at this sad, tortured animal, still wearing the imprints of the poacher’s boots on his legs. His eyes were empty of any feeling, and his tail was so limp and immobile that they thought his tailbone must be broken from being kicked repeatedly. They were afraid he was paralyzed.

They knew immediately they had to get him out of there. They knew he would not be put up for adoption once the trial was over. They had to figure a way to bypass the rules. Finally, after countless phone calls and with the help of the ASPCA, they got him out.

The poacher lost his trial and was fined, but he was free to commit the same cruel acts on other animals. Karma began the next phase of his journey...

Karma’s story couldn’t be told without Rachael, the caring young woman to took pity on him and saved his life. Rachael and her boyfriend took Karma home to begin the healing process. But she was the only one who could get near Karma, as he remembered the man who had destroyed his life and would not trust another man. Even Rachael’s boyfriend, who treated him kindly, could not get near him. So they gave him food, space, and sat in the yard with him until he slowly began to trust them. After about a month or so, he began to perk up a little.

But remember: Karma is a wolf and a wolf is a pack animal. He began to howl, trying to contact other animals around him; he was lonely. Rachael and her boyfriend decided they would get a companion for Karma. But who could fill that void in Karma’s life? After all, they couldn’t just go out and bring him home another wolf!

Enter Blake. Blake is an Australian shepherd, and a very dominant Aussie at that. He was found as a stray and taken to Best Friends Sanctuary. Best Friends is an exceptional no-kill facility that takes in domestic animals and keeps them until they are placed. When Rachael and her boyfriend saw Blake, they loved him immediately and decided to take him home for Karma.

The first night they were home, they left Karma in the yard and Blake in the house so they could get acquainted through the screen door. When they returned from a quick dinner, it looked like the house had been robbed: the screen door and blinds were busted open and the garbage was turned over. Karma was glimpsed leaping from a window into the back yard. Blake was nowhere to be seen. They frantically began calling for him, afraid he had been hurt by Karma. Finally, a little head poked out from under the couch.

No one will ever know what went on between Karma and Blake that night, but it must have been quite a discussion they had, because from that time forward, they have been inseparable. Blake is the boss, the alpha, if you will. Karma is in full agreement, no questions asked. They are connected in a way that only they understand.

Life was looking up. Karma began to follow Blake’s lead. If Blake would run up to people who visited, Karma would do the same. His tail, which had hung so lifeless, began to lift and wag until he finally would wag his tail just as happily as Blake. They loved to chase each other around the pool and whenever Rachael was in the yard, they made her part of the game; all three would run and play together. Life was finally good...

But all good things come to an end, and the end to this life was just around the corner for Karma and Blake. The relationship between Rachael and her boyfriend didn’t work out. She moved into an apartment and contacted Best Friends. They could take Blake but, because he was a wolf, they could not take Karma. It all seemed so unfair. After all that Karma had endured, he now faced losing his beloved friend and he had nowhere to go.

The good people at Best Friends had an idea. Could Southwest Wildlife adopt this very strange combination of friends? When Linda Searles heard their story, there was not even an instant of hesitation. As always, she and the dedicated volunteers at Southwest rolled up their sleeves, got out their tools, and built a home for Karma and Blake. Karma would continue his journey with his devoted friend.

The tragedy is that Karma will never know the feeling of running and living free, of howling in the cool night air secure within his pack, or the taste of the clean, fresh water that cascades down from the mountains.

But Karma is safe and happy. He has family, Blake, and all of the dedicated and compassionate people who are Southwest Wildlife, who love and protect him.

His journey is finally over; he is finally home.