CHIPLEY, Fla. (AP) — Wolves cannot hug. They have no arms. But they are loving, communicative animals with formal greeting traditions of their own, one of which is a "muzzle grab."

And so, when Dreamer, among the largest of the 30 residents at Seacrest Wolf Preserve, took half of my face in his mouth, I felt many things., including his long, sharp canines hooking my lower lip and — full-moon horror flicks notwithstanding — curling against the soft flesh of my throat.

What didn't I feel? Fear. Not even a little. Only elation at his acceptance and affection.

Not all the guests on Seacrest's Priv...