Howling Woods Farm — Attraction in Jackson Township

My husband and I drove down 4 hours for my birthday. As a lover and caretaker of dogs of all types, mixes and breeds, I was ecstatic. The farm is clean and well kept; a wonderful place that deserves praise for caring for animals that would not have made it without them! The woman with cat eye glasses at the front desk was a wonderfully cheerful angel, we spoke about Maple and how far she has come. Our appointment was at 1 but we did not begin until 115. The room was full of eagerness and excitement!! The main tour guide arrived in a huff. Told us she needed to catch her breath and chug her soda...the vibe shifted. She went on about safety precautions for an additional 15 minutes , in which we were anticipating after reading the website, signing waivers, and being familiar with temperaments. In all, there are 16 wolf hybrids, we only met 6, in 3 different pens. It was very 'militarized.' (Two steps back, stand here, don't do this, put your hand here.) We touched the neck of one animal, for a quick picture and were then shuffled to the end of the line. There was such minimal interaction with the small group and the animals, it was dissapointing. There were no kids in the group, and we were all adults who signed the waiver... The main guide, did not seem happy to be there. It seemed as though she herself was resource guarding the animals from the group so as to not break 'the bond' she created with each hybrid. She staged and guarded them, it was slightly off putting. Colleen on the other hand was super sweet. You could immediately tell the difference in the relationship she had with animals. Open and loving while the other guide seemed angry and about to snap at any minute. We were both surprised, based off pictures and reviews we hoped for much more interaction with the hybrids. Hoping to nuzzle and love them if they approached. We weren't the only ones who felt this way, we spoke with two other groups on the way out being totally confused at the lack of interaction with the animals over all.

TLDR: WONDERFUL place that rehabs and cares for wolf hybrids who need love and medical attention.

Donate but don't necessarily drive 4 hours expecting to pet...

I cannot say enough wonderful things about this farm and the people who work there. Especially the owner. I had contacted them regarding wanting to set up a tour for our family, especially for my mom who has lung cancer. I explained to the owner that I was hoping to find a date we could come before she began her chemo treatments but they were fully booked. The owner called me directly and set up a private tour for us to accommodate our schedule and my mom. We didn’t have to be with a group and we had individual time with the wolves. It was one of the most magical experiences for our family, the smile on my mother’s face was priceless. The owner came out to meet us and walked with us the last leg of our tour. We shared a conversation and felt a sense of understanding. We learned that one of the wolves also has cancer. The csretakers of the wolves were so kind and caring to not only the wolves but to us as well as we shared our stories of this unfortunate disease. We left there feeling a sense of happiness that we had not been feeling with all that is going on. We have beautiful pictures of a beautiful memory. One of the wolves licked my mom right on her cheek! A kiss from such a magical beast was incredible!

I am sad to read negative reviews. Especially from those with small children who are angry and “warning all their mom friends not to come” the website clearly states no children under 10. This sense of entitlement is precisely what is wrong in the world. The safety of the wolves and the children should always be what is most important. It’s ok your child can wait. Few years to experience this because honestly, under 10 they won’t truly understand the incredible experience this is and appreciate it for what it really is.

The complaints about the cost, 30 dollars is very cheap for such an incredible experience. We went as a family of 4 and 120 dollars for a lifetime of memories was more than worth it.

I told ALL of my friends and family what the owner did for our family and how accommodating he was for my mom with cancer. I’m sure that for every mom who will now not come, I have 3-4...

Please note that this tour is about 70% informational and 30% interactive.

The first 37 minutes were spent sitting on benches listening to our “guide” tell us that the wolves are more scared of us than we are of them.

Extremely informative but also extremely repetitive.

Aside from the fact that we had two random drug addicts in our group, everyone is there for the same reason: to interact with, pet, and hopefully play with wolves.

The video on YouTube of the wolf jumping up and kissing the attendee is a ploy. This isn’t happening. And even if it did, I imagine our guide would put a stop to it immediately.

Don’t whistle at the wolves, don’t call the wolves, don’t stand too quickly, don’t look too intensely.

Basically, donate $20 and maybe, if you’re lucky, a wolf might pass you by.

Our guide had her pockets filled with cheese and meat so the wolves know who is boss.

I think the wolves are beautiful and deserve all of the respect they get. They seem to be treated very nicely and have large areas to play in.

I wouldn’t recommend this place if you’re looking to play with or pet wolves. It’s discouraged.

Our first photo opportunity was interrupted because the first wolf wasn’t in the mood. Understandable.

Then Michelle, after talking for 37 minutes, told us to quickly move along because we were running out of time. Almost blaming us for the first 40 minutes of our tour being blown talking about the Hollywood producers who want to use the wolves for movies.

I donated an additional $5 to grab some waters for the 4 of us but the fridge was empty aside from someone’s turkey sandwich on rye - Michelle ran out and I got a single bottle of water.

I wish the website made it clear that they are going to discourage any real type of interaction aside from the final photo opportunity which still felt a little rushed.

Again, beautiful wolves who want cheese and meat from the guide.

I wouldn’t go back.

The drug addicts were also very upset with the tour. One of them grabbed a piece of cheese that had been missed by the wolf and was reprimanded for doing...