An excellent sets of insights, here. Although I am by 'acquired nature' a cynic, skeptic and somewhat misanthropic pessimist (in the Schopenhauer mode), there is an aspect of my persona that is deeply emotional. I try extremely hard to keep that maverick streak of pure 'feeling' under strict lock and key but there are certain things that will still deeply move me, from time to time (speaking of 'tearing-up'), and one of them is Canis lupus (and its close relatives, Canus familiaris). I have a deeply emotional response to anything concerning both wolves and dogs and in this particular context I am reminded of wildlife photographer and naturalist Nick Jans's deeply moving (2015) book titled 'A Wolf Called Romeo', in which the tragic fate of a Black Wolf on the outskirts of Juneau (AK) is evocatively commemorated. [That book had a lasting, permanent impact on me and I recommend it to all of you, without reservation.]

While it is easy to wax anthropomorphically about animals, (and while I have lapses, such as the incident involving 'Romeo'), I have always been a stringent critic of gratuitous attribution of human feelings, sentiments and motivations to other (we are, after all, animals ourselves in the strictest sense), lower orders of animals. Such incredibly puerile pap as comes to us from the Disney cartel (and similar purveyors of consumer fantasy) in particular typically incenses me, but I can certainly well-understand the seemingly 'normal' human urge to feel we share our unique perceptions and precepts with other creatures.

I may rant on and on about the child-like imaginings of infantile emotions of the (commercially motivated) Disney persuasion...and then I suddenly stumble across stories and subjects dealing with wolves and dogs, and all my elaborate, erudite pasteboard castle of cards comes tumbling down in tatters! In this sense, I clearly recognise the child that still lurks within me, but after many decades of life I have even come to somewhat accept it.

Rick McIntye's book, 'Redemption of Wolf 302' looks like one I shall have to read andam graetful for having had it be brought this to my attention. And now I shall return to my other tasks here at my desk...but NOT unmindful of the comforting, warm furriness of my Siberian Husky bitch (who shares 99.97% of the primal Canus lupus DNA, according to geneticists!) curled up at my feet, to remind me of how much we owe to both wild wolves and our smaller, domesticated proto-wolf doggos!