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Donations help wolf sanctuary Fence contractor, people�s checks will keep it open By Chris Bristol WILLIAMS � Thanks to the kindness of strangers, financially strapped Howling Acres Wolf Sanctuary has bounced back from the brink of a threatened shutdown. Co-founder Sherrie LaBat said the nonprofit sanctuary for abused and abandoned captive-bred wolves has raised more than $11,000 since a Mail Tribune story earlier this year chronicled the facility�s unexpected run-in with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. "We�ve received checks from all over the country, but Medford and Ashland have been the main supporters," she said Sunday. "The people of Southern Oregon have been just awesome.�� Responding to LaBat�s request for a permit, the USDA last month threatened to stop the sanctuary from charging admission for tours unless it made a number of site improvements, including installation of taller fencing than it had. The threat came as a surprise to LaBat and her husband, Charlie, who have struggled for credibility and financial security since they began taking in wolves and wolfdog hybrids more than 10 years ago. The 13-acre sanctuary now has 22 wolves; eight more are on a waiting list. LaBat said Nick Hall of Hall�s Fence and Deck in Grants Pass has agreed to install the chain-link perimeter fencing for just over $16,000 � with only $9,000 up front. The balance is to be paid from future donations. LaBat said Hall was the only fence installer who would agree to do the work without full payment up front. The deal was crucial, because the USDA said federal regulations barred the sanctuary from re-applying for the license for six months if it didn�t meet a 90-day deadline. Meanwhile, the development director for Britt Festivals volunteered to help the sanctuary apply for grants, LaBat said. None of it would matter if it weren�t for donations, which have been pouring in at the rate of $300 to $400 a day, LaBat said. They typically range from $10 to $250. Although most of the donations have been from concerned animal lovers in the Rogue Valley, LaBat said checks (usually with letters) have come from all over the country. She even got one from a woman in Aylsham, England, who wrote that she has friends in Medford and spotted the story one day while scanning the Mail Tribune�s Web site. She sent $250. The fence isn�t the sanctuary�s only expense. The wolves eat more than 300 pounds of store-bought dog food a week and need constant medical care. "Every bit helps, but we�re not out of the woods yet," LaBat said. "But hopefully, once we pay off the fence, nothing like this will ever happen again." Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA