Orange County finds refuge for 2 wolf-dogs, but still needs homes for the rest
Orange County now needs to find six wolf-dog hybrids a permanent home.
On Monday, Orange County Animal Services spokesperson Tenille Fox said 11-month old littermates Taalai and Taa left the animal shelter Sunday for WolfWood Refuge, a licensed, nonprofit refuge for wolves and wolf-dogs in Colorado.
Officials are still working to find placements for the six remaining hybrids at the shelter. If the county cannot find an organization to take them, they will likely be humanely euthanized, Fox said last week.
Dr. Sandra Strong, director of Orange County Animal Services, said keeping the animals in the shelter would deprive them of “an acceptable long-term quality of life,” and would not be in line with “good animal welfare practices.”
“Sadly, these dogs were never properly socialized as pets. They are not able to be safely walked on a leash, and they cannot easily be handled for care or effective social interaction,” Strong said in a news release.
“We are trying to keep them as comfortable as possible during their stay with us, and we are providing them with enrichment that they will accept,” she said. “The unfortunate reality is that the remaining wolfdogs cannot continue to stay in the shelter.”
Months-long effort to find hybrids a home
Officials have been trying to place the hybrids, which are believed to be part German shepherd, since they arrived at the animal shelter in July and August of 2021.
In August, a board-certified veterinarian confirmed their genetic information and behavior was consistent with wolf-dog cross breeding, the release stated. The expert, who has a background in zoo medicine and extensive experience working with wolves, agreed with the county’s placement plan for the hybrids.
Officials didn’t allow the animals to be adopted because it would be “a public danger” to place them with anyone with insufficient experience or the required license to deal with hybrids, the release stated.
Roughly a dozen hybrids escaped from an enclosure in the Cedar Grove community north of Hillsborough back in July, The News & Observer previously reported.
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Eight were captured at the time and moved to the animal shelter on Eubanks Road. The cost of caring for the animals is covered by the county, Fox said in an email, as the county does for all shelter animals.
A few of the hybrids remained on the loose, and one of them, a female, was found dead off N.C. 86 in Hillsborough in November. The animal appeared to have been hit by a car, Fox told the N&O at the time.
Two wolf-dog hybrids remained unaccounted for, have not been seen recently and have likely left the area or died, she said.
The county previously decided not to seek criminal charges or fines against the original owner of the hybrids, Fox said in an email.
“It has been determined that this would not be in the best interests of the dogs or Orange County, and it could possibly result in more county expenses that may not be recovered,” she said.
Where have animal control officials looked?
The county has contacted multiple sanctuaries, but most have not had room to house the animals, Fox said. Officials have also reached out to rescues, but none has been able to care for the hybrid animals, which require extensive socialization.
The wolf-dog hybrids were evaluated in December by a board-certified veterinary behaviorist, who said that confining the animals to a shelter in the long term would be stressful, and inhumane, Fox said.
It is illegal to own the animals in Orange County, and in addition to them not being domesticated like other pet animals, there is no approved rabies vaccine for them.
“An enormous effort has been underway to find placement for these animals, and our management team has spoken with numerous organizations and sanctuaries from all over the United States,” Fox said Monday. “They will certainly check into any suggestions sent to us if they have not already done so.”
If you know of a possible sanctuary or rescue group for the hybrids contact Orange County Animal Services at ocas@orangecountync.gov.
This story was originally published January 28, 2022 at 8:32 AM.
