About The Founders

Paul Pondella

Paul Pondella Co-Founder of Shadowland Foundation and Owner & President of Tree King Tree Services, IncPaul was born and raised in Glendale, CA and has been rescuing wild animals and bringing them to safety all his life. He would find injured birds, squirrels, cats, dogs and bring them home to the veterinarian who lived next door. A dyslexic and troubled child, his education came from his connection to animals and nature. In 1978, at the age of 18, he ran into a bit of trouble with the law. The judge told him to get his act together or his future would not fair well. Paul took this advice to heart and put his love of the outdoors to work. He started mowing lawns and trimming trees and two years later, by 1980, had started Tree King Tree Services, Inc. which is his primary company today. By the age of 32 he had built one of the most prestigious arbor care companies in Los Angeles County and its surrounding areas. His love and passion for animals continued to grow and he soon became certified in CPR and First-Aid with animals and well-known for this ability. Because of his reputation and growing expertise, not only with trees but with animals as well, Paul started getting calls from the SPCA to rescue wild animals; in particular, wolves. His first rescue was Panda, a black and white wolf/husky hybrid. Six years later, he adopted Kiva, a Grey Timber wolf pup from Big Bear. His relationship with these little orphans was life changing for him, "There is nothing else like them," he claims and so began his education about these magnificent creatures. He quickly became a champion to their plight. He started dreaming of creating a ranch, he would call "Freedom" to let children come run and play with wolves; all he needed was the land and the wolves. Unfortunately, both Panda and Kiva passed away from illness and complications with surgery leaving Paul devastated and in pursuit of another wolf. In February of 2005, after having been on a waiting list since 2000, he got a call from a sanctuary with Alaskan timber wolf hybrids, originating in Alaska near Denali National Park and Preserve. He came home with a black pup, just 19 days old. He bottle fed her, taking her with him everywhere he went. "It is wisest to get wild pups before they open their eyes and are able to see. That way, they bond to humans as their species and are much easier to socialize with people." He named her Shadow, but not because of her color. When she started to walk, she would walk directly behind him, in his shadow. In May, just three months later, he got another call from the sanctuary. This time he let Shadow choose and she picked Allie, short for Alaska, a beautiful beige wolf pup just 20 days old. Knowing how important training would be in order to mix the wolves with people, especially children, Paul started training them with one of the best wild animal trainers in the motion picture industry; each having over 300 hours of individual training to date. It was during this time that Paul would become a member of The NoHo Arts Center for New Thought, a Spiritual Center where the philosophy of Ernest Holmes is taught, and where he would be introduced to Colette, the woman who would later become the Alpha Female of his pack. top

Colette Duvall

Colette Duvall Co-Founder of Shadowland Foundation and Owner of Femme FauxtalesColette was born in Delhi, Louisiana but was raised in Houston Texas. A child from a troubled family and one with dyslexia, an affliction she shares with both her brother and Paul, the outdoors became her sanctuary too. Colette became passionate about changing how children were taught in schools and set out to make a change. But after years of fighting a closed minded educational system she opted for her second love, acting. She soon moved California to study at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts where she graduated with an Associates Arts Degree. After several years of success in film and television, she moved to New York for a new adventure and became a prominent acting teacher with film and television workshops she created as well as an accomplished award winning theater director. Producing and writing her own film projects came next. However, despite all of her successes, her passion for a relationship, a family and having a lasting impact in the world, still eluded her. She began to long for the sunshine and warm winters of California. The events of 911, like for so many of us, would prove to be another turning point in her life; soon after she headed back to Los Angeles. As she settled in she began writing and selling her new acting workbook, The Acting Choice, combining her knowledge of Human Development with Acting Techniques. Combining these two amazing technologies is her proudest accomplishment. Giving her a venue to do what she could not do in the school system. Back in LA she became a member of The NoHo Arts Center, a prestigious's theater company in North Hollywood, where she not only worked on stage as an actor but continued to direct and write and to put her teaching, her years of experience, in the hands of young actors. Her love of the arts took on new meaning when she began to study the art of Faux Painting and soon after started her own business Femme Fauxtales; life was taking a turn for the better. The Theater Company would also become one of Colette's most powerful life changing experiences for it was also the home of The NoHo Arts Center for New Thought; Colette took to the teachings of Ernest Holmes like a fish to water. She is currently a Licensed Practitioner and is presently studying to get her Ministerial License. When asked about what her Ministry will be like... her eyes light up and you can almost hear the howl of this Alpha (mom) Female coming through, "I have always loved children, animals and the outdoors. Although I never had children of my own, I believe life has given me the very rare gift of being a 'den mother' to these three beautiful wolves. Being outdoors, teaching children, caring for animals and having a loving family are my passions; now I can take them and make a powerful contribution to others for generations to come." top

The Pack

The Shadowland Foundation Pack: Paul, Shadow, Takoda, Allie and ColetteAlthough Paul and Colette initially met at The Center, it wasn't until Paul rode up on his shiny blue special construction Harley Davidson motorcycle that Colette new it was love at first sight; well, with the motorcycle at first, anyway. Needing help with starting a garden at her new apartment, they decided to meet and plan out a beautiful garden together, but more than flowers soon started to blossom. Colette and Paul found they had many things in common; they both came from troubled families, they both had dyslexia, a love of the outdoors and a history of painful and failed relationships. As the garden grew so did their feelings for each other and it soon became obvious to them both that they had something very special; and for Colette, an animal lover herself, the wolves were just the icing on the cake. Meeting Paul, a single parent to these incredible motherless "girls" was destined to be. Educating children about this extraordinarily vital species and their positive influence and contribution to the environment is a bigger game than she has ever played and a dream come true for both of them. Not long after their prophetic meeting, the devastating news about Shadow's cancer would rock their world. On September 16th, 2008, the day before Paul's 49th birthday, she was diagnosed with an inoperable, incurable, soft tissue sarcoma originating in her sinus further invading her skull, her cheekbone and was crushing her right eye. They gave her about a month or two to live and offered to put her down right then and there. For Paul, the thought of loosing yet another wolf, another member of his family, was more than he could bear. If not for the love and support of Colette his dream, his life, would have crumbled. Colette faced it head on. Using all her spiritual training along with her belief in homeopathic medicine she went searching for a cure that she knew, deep in her heart, existed. In her own words. "I believe that there is a Universal antidote to every Universal condition." (Learn more about Shadow's amazing story) On Valentine's Day, almost six months after Shadow's diagnosis Paul received another call from the wolf sanctuary, the news, "we have pups". Born February 1, 2009, same day as Shadow, the pack chose their first male wolf. Just 15 days old, Noshi Takoda became the newest member of the family; as soon as he was ready, he began his training right beside Shadow and Allie. On May 29, 2010, Allie and Takoda brought seven new members into the world and expanded the pack family. As a team, Shadow, Allie, Takoda and the pups along with Paul and Colette have started the journey to Freedom together; Paul's life long dream. Shadowland Foundation's children's educational programs are instrumental and a critical component of the grass roots effort to procure the land necessary to build this enchanted wilderness experience they can share with everyone. top