Jeannine: That's a wonderful story about the wolf in your youth. It has very special meaning for you, I'm sure. European's brought a great deal of fear about wolves over with them (who knows--maybe European wolves are an aggressive variant, or maybe they got rabies--whatever).
In North America, I don't think there has ever been a reported case of a wolf attacking a human. Wolves are very intelligent (domesticated dogs are retardations of wolves) and very social. They live for the existance of their pack, particularly the cubs. Only the Alpha Male and Alpha Female have cubs, all the other adults shut down their reproductive instincts and communally care for the cubs. There is definately a pecking order in the social structure of wolves, but the one lives for the all. Wolves can also be very controlling. I don't know if you've ever met a wolf that lives with humans or a wolf-breed dog. The claim a territority MUCH larger than a dog would. They will try to take YOU for a walk, not the other way around.
