Rating: 
Summary: Overwhelming and touching - but not accurate
Review: A day or two after I read this book, I discussed it with someone who has inside knowledge of the Dutchers, and how they treated their wolves. I was appalled to learn that they were not as ethical as they portrayed themselves to be. Further, they completely slammed the WERC, making it sound as if that organization were completely irresponsible and betrayed the wolves - this is simply not true.Still, the book gives an inside view at wolves, and I still recommend it to anyone interested in learning more about the social behaviors of these incredible animals. Just be aware that the Dutchers are presenting a very biased angle, and at times are outright lying. Below is my original review, untouched, so you can see what my reaction was after reading the book: ------ I approached this book with more than a little trepidation; as a tour guide for Wolf Haven in Tenino, Washington, I have a huge bias against captive wolves. Still as I began to read this book, I found myself completely sucked in, absolutely driven to finish it, and as I write this review, it is after 4:00a.m. - I finished it in one sitting. The Dutchers did not make pets of the wolves, and that right there won me over - the way they managed the pack (or rather, mostly let the pack manage itself) was very responsible, and they gained such valuable insight into wolf behavior that I can't help but believe they did the right thing. The anecdotes of the wolves, their incredibly complex social behaviors, their nurturing and need for companionship...everything about this pack touched me very deeply, and I found myself in tears many times throughout the unfolding story. Tragically, the story does not have a happy ending; prepare yourself for sobs in the final chapter. I simply cannot believe how the WERC betrayed the wolves - it is utterly inexcusable. There is *so* much valuable information in this book, so much that defies the old European Big Bad Wolf legends, so much that reaffirms the Native American beliefs of Wolf as Nurturer and Brother, that it's hard to believe people hunted them almost to extinction here in the lower 48. What an unforgiveable crime. Please read this book if you are at all interested in wolves - I sat down to read "just a couple of chapters," and yet here I am, almost 5 hours later. I was totally unable to put the book down, wondering what the wolves were going to do next. Jim and Jamie Dutcher write with honesty, clarity, and compassion that lets the wolves' personalities shine through. This is a truly exceptional volume, and I believe it should be required reading for anyone who thinks that wolves are vicious, evil creatures. I'd buy a copy for every rancher out there, if I only had the money. Read the book, get involved with wolf conservation, do something to help! We owe it to this incredible animal to try to make things right again.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent! A must read!
Review: A value cannot be put on the information gained by Jim and Jamie Dutcher during the Sawtooth Project. This story exposes the reader to an animal that, until recently, little was known about. This book dispells myths and presents the wolf in a whole new, positive light. The observations made by Jim and Jamie Dutcher regarding the pack's behavior, as a whole and individually, are priceless. This book reveals the complexity and unbelievable intelligence of these magnificent animals. To those who have criticized the Dutchers for "abandoning" the pack after the project was over, allow me to point out that although captive, these wolves were and are WILD ANIMALS. They are not pets and were never treated that way. The Dutchers did not abandon the animals, but left them in the captive care of the Nez Perce tribe, on enclosed land similar in size and backdrop of the Sawtooth enclosure. Jim Dutcher made it a priority in the beginning to make sure the pack had a safe place to go after the project ended. Because of his effort, the Sawtooth pack will never have to worry about hunters and will always have human caretakers. They have it much better than most captive wild animals. So quiet your critism, or at least devote it to something worth criticizing, like the people who keep wild animals captive as pets! The Sawtooth Project has had a huge impact in changing the public's minds about wolves. We owe Jim and Jamie Dutcher a deep debt of gratitude for that.
Rating: 
Summary: A Good Story But.....How Sad
Review: A well written book but how sad and selfish. The Dutcher's raised these wolves for their personal gain then abandonded the wolf pack when the project was finished. The results were tragic for the wolves. The trust that the humans deliberately built in this pack was betrayed. The Dutcher's should have taken the resonsibility of taking care of these wolves until their natural deaths. This is a true story of man's arrogance and disrespect.
Rating:
Summary: Shame
Review: A well written story but what a shame the pack were not cared for for by the Dutchers for the rest of the wolves natural lives. Captive packs can not lead the truly wild lifestyle they were intended to lead. And to abandon them to the care of others after finishing the documentary showed just how man can use an animal for his own financial gain them walk away from them. At the very least this couple should have committed their lives to a pack they formed for personal financial gain. A good well written story but the last chapters are heartbreaking and show man at his worst.
Rating:
Summary: A Marvellous Read
Review: Hey everyone, I started and read straight through to the end. Couldn't put it down. Simply and movingly written, staggering in its insights, awesome in its implications, touching in its story and - finally-heartbreaking in its conclusion. Some people may slam the Dutchers for seemingly abandoning the wolves, but I didn't have the heart. After reading this story, I sat down and thought about how often humans truly wreck their own endeavors. Draw your own opinions on the project, but the one lesson that should have been taught, judging from the reviews before this one, was clearly missed - again. Unity and the blessing of forgiveness should be our ultimate goal; without it we will forever batter ourselves to pieces in our own judgement of things.
Truly a beautiful piece of work and it snags my highest recommendation.
Rating:
Summary: A Marvellous Read
Review: Hey everyone, I started and read straight through to the end. Couldn't put it down. Simply and movingly written, staggering in its insights, awesome in its implications, touching in its story and - finally-heartbreaking in its conclusion. Some people may slam the Dutchers for seemingly abandoning the wolves, but I didn't have the heart. After reading this story, I sat down and thought about how often humans truly wreck their own endeavors. Draw your own opinions on the project, but the one lesson that should have been taught, judging from the reviews before this one, was clearly missed - again. Unity and the blessing of forgiveness should be our ultimate goal; without it we will forever batter ourselves to pieces in our own judgement of things.
Truly a beautiful piece of work and it snags my highest recommendation.
Rating: 
Summary: The Arroagance of Man
Review: I found myself in the midst of a book that I was unable to put down. It was compelling and humbling to learn about the wolves. The work of Jim and Jamie was invaluable. Their arrogance is inexcusable. Jim admits he wanted to make a film to expose people to a side of the wolf they may not know. His efforts to carry out this mission were noble and successful. His abandonment of the wolves in the end was selfish and perpetuates the arrogance of our species. The project should not have been undertaken without his commitment to seeing it through. He abandoned the very lives who trusted him most. So it's cold and lonely in the Sawtooth Mountains. Whatever. His commitment should have been until the pack died out, under his care and stewardship.
Rating:
Summary: Open the Door, and Let 'Em In (apologies to Paul McCartney)
Review: Let me clear the air up front. I can't claim that this review is totally unbiased, seeing as how my kid brother assisted the Dutchers with this effort. Just ask him: I'm very hard to please. Well, he doesn't have to worry this time out. Weighing in at a mere 300 pages, the lucid, evocative writing makes it seem half as long. I came home from work to find my copy waiting for me. I immediately took it to my... um, "private reading room", with the intention of looking at the glorious, full color photographs and rejoining my family. But then I decided to just read the introduction. Next thing I knew, I was 100 pages into it and didn't want to stop. The book is at once a heartwarming story of two people, their relationship with each other, and their struggle to bring a dream of filming a pack of "wild" wolves to fruition, and a real life drama of the lives (and occasionally deaths) of the members of that pack. I can't recommend this book enough. Dog lovers will gain insights into the behavior of their beloved companions; wolf and nature lovers will see a magnificent animal in all its glory; and everyone else will find an eye-opening study of a misunderstood and wrongfully persecuted creature. All wrapped with a perfect blend of humor and suffering. Do yourself a favor and let the Dutchers and their beloved wolves into your life. It will be richer for the addition.
Rating:
Summary: J. Linscott, nature lover
Review: This book is a wonderful view on the lives inside a wild wolf pack. Even though the Dutchers raised all but two of the original pack from 10 day old pups, the wolves still behave as they would in the wild with the exception of allowing humans to glimpse their lives. These wolves were kept in an enclosed area near the Sawthooth Mountains for six years otherwise this book and the film by the same title would not have been possible if these were wolves born in the wild their fear of humans would never have given us the glimpse of compassion, love and loyalty that is the wolf. As you read this book you will come to understand that wolves are not born killers. Please read this book for the sake of the wolf and the wilderness they represent, it may help in restoring them to the wild, for knowledge and understanding go hand in hand with preservation.
Rating:
Summary: Opened a new page in my life
Review: This... This book is beyond my dictionary of words, but I'll try to describe it as best I can. First of all, I am a great fan of wolves, and I was introduced by seeing the end of a nameless movie I believe was "Wolves at our Door". My best friend bought me the book for my birthday, and I read a chapter here, and a chapter there, busy with school. As I began to progress, I got more and more into the book. This book showed, from what I believe the true personality of a wolf, even though they were raised with human hands. Instinct took over, and Jim and Jamie didn't try or succeed in domesticating the wolves. This book showed the connection between wolves and humans that was broken once humans decided to classify wolves as inferior and not equals. My heart was ripped out of my chest when I learned how the wolves were treated once Jim and Jamie could no longer care for the wolves. (Stupid permits!!) The two did the best they could to supply a pair of good new caretakers, slowly introducing them. But since the company sponsering the wolves was too busy with their finances, the wolves were abandoned 5 weeks at a time and volunteers fed them from over the fence. Jim and Jamie could do nothing about it, as they no longer were legal workers on the project and lived too far away. Hope, is restored as in a fresh wolf paw print is seen in mud where the old pack used to dwell, renewing hope that the wolf has not yet diappeared yet.
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