The leaders of the pack

Couple that owns nine wolves say the animals are misunderstood

LOUIE TRAUB/VIEWMarc Armel cuddles with a pair of his nine wolves in Sandy Valley. The wolf owner is trying to dispel the idea that wolves are aggressive animals and, instead, are loyal and intelligent. LOUIE TRAUB/VIEWMarc Armel cuddles with a pair of his nine wolves in Sandy Valley. The wolf owner is trying to dispel the idea that wolves are aggressive animals and, instead, are loyal and intelligent. Advertisement

Kevin Costner may have danced with wolves, but Marc Armel and his live-in girlfriend, Sheri Dison, go one better. They let theirs sleep on the bed.

The couple, who have a home on the fringes of Summerlin, have nine of the creatures. They call them their "babies."

Armel is a project superintendant for venues inside the Palazzo hotel, a Sands Corp. project. He grew up in Henderson and graduated from Clark High School. As a youngster, he had dogs of one sort or another, then, in about 1984, he found a wolf pup at a swap meet.

"I asked the woman what kind of pup it was and she said, 'The mother was half wolf and half Husky, and the father was a fence jumper.' "

Brandy, as he named the critter, eventually suffered liver failure and had to be euthanized.

"But she could communicate with you, even more than a dog could," Armel said.

Fast forward to four years ago and Armel put the word out that he was looking for another wolf pup. His brother in Sacramento found an ad for one in the paper.

A long drive and $550 later, Armel and Dison headed home with an all-white, 7-week-old pup they named Legna. The pup put her paws on the vehicle's dash and immediately began howling. Armel likes wolves and he also likes having fun with their names. Written backward, Legna's name spells "Angel."

A year later, the couple acquired Nevaeh ("Heaven" backward) and then Natas ("Satan" -- but backward, so it has the opposite meaning.) Another white female is L'leh -- "Hell" spelled backward.

After Natas and L'Leh mated last year, they produced five pups to add to the pack.

To allow the animals more room, Armel and Dison purchased 2.5 acres outside of Las Vegas at an undisclosed location and built a fenced pen specifically for the wolves. There, they have an area with mature trees and a shade shelter.

Timid by nature, the wolves usually are quiet and elusive, wary of strangers. Sometimes their pack instincts kick in.

"One time I heard them howling like crazy, and when I looked, there were these coyotes on the other side of the fence," Dison said. "They were having a howl off."

Dison quit her job as a waitress to care for the animals full time, one of the requirements for having an exotic animal permit.

David March, in his capacity as animal control supervisor for Clark County, has impounded a 15-foot python, a snow leopard and a serval -- a spotted African wild cat with tufted ears -- over the years. He's also had to capture bobcats and mountain lions.

He said having wolves in the valley is "an uncommon occurrence at this time" and that Armel is the only person holding a permit to have them.

Keeping such animals is not a task for those on a tight budget. The animals go through 10 to 20 pounds of meat a day. They also eat fresh fruit and vegetables, like carrots, pumpkins and watermelon. Vet bills can run more than $1,000, modified fencing to keep them from jumping the walls ran about $3,000 (Armel and a buddy did the work themselves), and then there's the annual licensing for keeping exotic animals.

Armel even bought 2 1/2 acres outside of town with a small apartment on it after his 2,000-square-foot home became too crowded. The wolves live there, and he divides his time between the two places.

Veterinarian Kevin Collins said the wolves get the same shots as dogs.

Like dogs, wolves have a pack leader. For Armel's pack, he is the Alpha male, the head honcho. Since all nine wolves have known him since they were pups, it was natural for them to look up to him.

But it takes a special kind of person to keep wolves.

"This is not a dog you put in your backyard and go out and pet on the head once a week," he said. "They want to be with you, next to you. All the time. You're their pack."

When they were living in town, the wolves got into mischief. They were bored and tore into the walls of the couple's Summerlin-area house, yanking out sections of dry wall and insulation. They've found buried wiring and played tug of war until it was completely exposed. They've destroyed patio cushions and a sofa and various pieces of footwear.

"Wolves are so misunderstood," Armel said. "We grow up with 'Little Red Rising Hood' and the 'Three Little Pigs,' but wolves are nothing like that. If one of them ever got out, I just know someone would take a rifle and shoot it."