Book Review: A Wolf Called Romeo - by Nick Jans

While cross country skiing near his home on Mendenhall Lake, near the city of Juneau, Alaska, the author spotted tracks. At first, he couldn't believe what he was seeing - wolf tracks at the edge of the city limits of Juneau. This began a true saga of a wild animal interacting with people and their pet dogs.

If you are an animal lover, you will love this book. A beautiful black wolf, who appeared to just want some friends, stayed in the area over one winter, and then came back the next. Many theories were floated about why Romeo was there and stayed in the area for months. Was his mate or his mother killed somewhere close by and he was searching for them? Did he find the interaction between the dogs that visited Mendenhall Lake with their owners assuaged his loneliness? Whatever the reason, even naturalists who were called in had never seen this rarity. The author describes the tentative approach of people, who kept their distance for the most part, while their dogs ran to Romeo to say hello and play.

Jans fills his book with facts about wolves and their habits, history and lives. He also includes pictures so you can actually see the area and Romeo.

The townspeople loved Romeo so much a plaque was placed on a big rock on a trail at Mendenhall in the area he roamed. It's a short hike thru a beautiful place. After reading the book, I had to go, see and touch the plaque myself. You can still feel the presence of this rare, lovely, wild black wolf, a wolf called Romeo.

Linda Kercher