Wolfstock Something to Howl About

Wild wolves and craft beer, with a side of rock and roll – what’s not to like?  

The wolves were sweethearts, and the beer was copious and varied, at the sixth annual “Wolfstock” festival held Saturday, February 8, at the Paradise Coast Sports Complex. The music was live, and you have to admit, Wolfstock is a great name for a rock festival benefiting a wolf shelter, up there with Marco Island’s “Souper Bowl” or For the Love of Cats’ former “Hair Ball” fundraiser. 

A crowd of several hundred showed up at the venue off of Collier Blvd. to enjoy the beers and the music, support the Shy Wolf Sanctuary Education and Experience Center – and also enjoy the wolves. There were five wolf-dog hybrids roaming the grounds, each on a leash with a trainer or owner attached, and they kind of stole the show.  

Not shy, despite the name of the organization, or hungry or intimidating, these wolves seemed to want nothing more than a petting, a treat, or a belly rub. They received plenty of friendly attention, as the patrons at Wolfstock are pre-conditioned to be animal lovers and specifically, fans of wolfdogs. One (human) visitor came dressed in a T-shirt that summed up his priorities: “Here to pet dogs,” read David VanBrummelen’s shirt in bold capital letters. These four-legged friends were the well-socialized members of the pack, and several of them have been adopted into private homes, typically by volunteers at the facility.  

Others of the dozens of wolves, wolfdogs, and other residents at Shy Wolf, including a cougar, a bobcat, foxes, prairie dogs, and gopher tortoises, are not brought out to interact with the public, and all of them have been deemed unsuited to be returned to life in the wild.  

“We’re here today to raise funds for the sanctuary so we can rescue more animals,” said Shy Wolf executive director JJ Lankowski. “Many of our animals had been abused in their past life, so we provide them with a forever home.”  

Shy Wolf is a private facility dedicated to the rescue and rehabilitation of captive-bred exotic animals, not open to the public except for those making a substantial donation. So Wolfstock is a chance to get up close and personal with the wild ambassadors of Shy Wolf. 

It was also a chance to enjoy craft beers from a variety of Florida brewer companies, including Riptide, LaBelle, Chubby Mermaid, 3 Sisters, and Tampa Bay Brewing Co. Copa di Vino Premium Wine swam against the current with their selection of cabernet, Moscato, and white zinfandel. It was fun tasting various beers, some with bizarre or humorous names such as “Florida Lunch” and “Dead Parrot” (from the Monty Python sketch, said the brewer), “Reef Donkey” (from a nickname for amberjack), “Olde Naples Blonde” – and there were quite a few of those in attendance – and “Cowboy Way.” But the most appropriate beer name had to be “Sit N Stay” from LaBelle Brewing. The brewer’s description says, “Why did we name this beer Sit N Stay? Because it is so light and delicious, it makes you want to sit and stay awhile, wherever you are,” but it does sound like what you would say to a good dog.  

Tunes were provided by a pair of rock bands, starting with The Pilot and the Peeps and continuing into the evening with Rockadelic. Speaking of appropriate, the Rockadelic trio, after one other number, opened their set with Duran Duran’s “Hungry Like the Wolf.” For humans who were feeling hunger pangs, a number of food trucks, including Paco’s Tacos, catered to their tummies.  

Some attendees came over from the Great Wolf Lodge right next door, attracted perhaps by the siren call of rock music and recognizable by the wolf ears attached to their headbands. Wolfstock had a respectable turnout, considering it had to compete with other, larger events. “Whatever weekend you pick” during the season, said Lankowski, “there are too many events.” 

Shy Wolf Sanctuary Education and Experience Center, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose funding comes from community donations. For more information or to donate to the Shy Wolf Sanctuary, call 855-SHY-WOLF or go to www.shywolfsanctuary.org.