Wolfdogs may bring to mind White Fang, the protagonist of the Jack London novel, but an Alberta sanctuary is raising awareness about how raising the hybrid differs from the fictional account of a loyal, loving companion.

The Yamnuska Wolfdog Sanctuary in Cochrane, Alta., has launched an online auction to raise money to fund a new enclosure and save as many of the animals as it can from being euthanized.

The sanctuary was started five years ago as a response to the increased number of wolfdogs being abandoned by owners who found them aloof, territorial and hard to train.

"With domestic dogs, they want to please us humans. They want to be around us humans, all that kind of stuff," said Georgina De Caigny, the sanctuary's executive director. "The more wolf content that is in the wolfdog, the less they're going to be wanting to please you, the less that they're ever going to be a pet."

De Caigny says many of the owners who leave their pets with the sanctuary are looking to own a "piece of the wild" and slowly realize the differences in raising a wolfdog versus a dog.

"The more wolf that's in there, the less pet-like they're going to behave," she said.

The sanctuary has 22 wolfdogs living on its two-acre property, but the non-profit wants to expand.

"You can't just build a six foot fence in a little kennel and expect an animal like Nakita or Lark to stay put," said De Caigny, referring to two of the hybrid dogs living on the property.

The sanctuary is auctioning off everything from dog swimming lessons to rafting trips and kegs of beer.

With a report from CTV Calgary's Bill Macfarlane