
SHINGLETOWN, Calif. — The wolf-dog pack that neighbors say terrorized a Shingletown community for years could finally be seeing the last of the dogs taken from the owner’s property.
The Apex Protection Project is the non-profit group that took the pack’s seven puppies into custody. After a deal between the county and the owner, they were back on the property on Thursday to take the remaining three wolf-dog hybrids to somewhere they can thrive.
“The county made an agreement with Dave that if he was to relinquish all of his adults to Apex then he would not face charges,” explains Steve Wastell. “So he agreed to do that, and so he signed all three or six of them to Apex, and today we came up to get them.”
Back in March the pack, at that point made up of at least seven animals, killed a neighbor’s dog, Chief.
When Sharina Clark, the neighbor who owned Chief, heard Apex was back in the area to take the remaining animals she shared she was ecstatic at the idea the animals would finally be gone.
“I hope like, Apex taking the dogs and the puppies, and the puppies, that they’ll be able to be in a contained safe environment,” she says. “So that other people’s animals and livestock and everything, people can feel at peace. “
However, she says she wishes the owner, David Celise would face some form of consequence for allowing the dogs to reach such an aggressive state. Saying just over a week ago the three remaining dogs were wandering on her property again until she took a shot at them.
However, Wastell says their efforts Thursday morning faced several complications.
“The fencing is still not as strong as it should be so we went in to catch them and they went over the fence,” he says. “So we’re going back tomorrow with a new plan and we’re hopefully gonna capture them and get them neutered and spayed.“
They captured one, an about two-year-old wolf-malamute mix named Shasta. However, with both an intact male and female still at large and neighbors ready to take the dogs out, Wastell says they need to capture the remaining two on Friday.
“We’ll have some people on the outskirts so they don’t go over the fence,” he says. “A little energy over there where it’s weaker, and we’re going to bring our own fencing and build a corral and the hope is that we chase them into the corral.“
The one they were able to capture was taken to the Haven Humane Society in Anderson to be neutered and reunited with the three already in the shelter’s care. Once the remaining two are captured he says the dogs will be reunited and then they’ll all be taken up to Oregon to a 15,000$ enclosure apex created with their donors.
“I got to see it first hand, and great homes,” says Ken Nakishima, a transporter for Apex. “It’s a really good environment and we’re really looking forward to getting them up there. All of them.“
The Apex team is headed back out to the property Friday to capture the remaining two using miniature corrals, and they ask people to stay out of the area while they do so.
While they don’t need any more assistance to capture the dogs, they shared the rescue has been one of the most expensive yet. Including the enclosure, the Apex Protection Project has spent about $40,000 on rescuing the Shingletown wolf dogs. Wastell says if anyone wants to support their journey to go to their site and donate.
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