Orange County Animal Services finds homes for all eight wolfdogs taken in last summer

As of last Wednesday, Orange County Animal Services found homes for all eight of the wolf-German shepherd hybrids that were taken in last summer.

Tenille Fox, a spokesperson for Orange County Animal Services, said the last three wolfdogs were taken in by a nonprofit group that specializes in the placement of wolves and other at-risk animals. The group wishes to remain anonymous.

Fox said the dogs must go to people who have experience caring for wolfdogs and are able to give them the space and enrichment they need.

“They have a really strong prey drive,” she said. “These animals need a very special type of enclosure and situation where they can live naturally. And that's what we've started to find in the last few placements that we've made.”

Three of the wolfdogs were recently moved to the Wisconsin branch of a nonprofit called Mattersville, which has a program called Heroes and Hybrids. The program connects veterans with wolfdogs trained as emotional support animals.

Drew Robertson, founder and executive director of Mattersville, said because wolfdogs also experience certain trauma, connecting them with veterans experiencing PTSD can be beneficial.

“It's very, very, very grounding,” he said. “You get way out of your head when it comes to past traumas when you're engaged with these animals for their care.”

Orange County Animal Services originally picked names for the three dogs, but Robertson said the dogs will be renamed by the Wisconsin caretaker team as their personalities develop.

The other two wolfdogs were moved in early February to the Colorado-based Wolfwood Refuge. Owner and director Paula Woerner started the refuge in 1996 for her own wolfdog.

“His best friend was a corgi,” she said. “When I moved to Colorado, I left the corgi because it was my son's dog, and my wolfdog got very depressed. So I rescued another one to be his friend, and then we rescued another one and another one until it just became everything that we do.”

Elizabeth Lawyer, a caretaker at Wolfwood, said the refuge has been in contact with Orange County Animal Services since last summer.

The dogs had to be spayed and neutered, have up-to-date shots and produce a negative heartworm test before they could be transferred.

“That's the reason it took so long," Lawyer said. "Because there's a lot involved in making sure that the animals have everything that they need to be okay here.”

Relocating the two wolfdogs took four days in total. Lawyer left Wolfwood with her husband on Jan. 28, picked up the dogs on Jan. 30 and placed them in the shelter on Feb. 2.

The dogs have already been renamed to Nina and Torin. Woerner says Nina’s name means hope of love, and Torin’s name means tender.

Orange County Animal Services was not able to capture one wolfdog named Girl. The wolfdog died in November after being hit by a car.

Robertson was also able to honor Girl's memory in Wisconsin.

“(Orange County Animal Services) handed me the ashes of Girl, which we took back to Wisconsin with us and spread her ashes in the new enclosure of the three (wolfdogs)” he said.

Woerner said the wolfdogs in Colorado have rapidly progressed. She said she's able to pet Torin, and Nina is not scared. Goals for the dogs include becoming more socialized, gaining weight and having their fur grow in properly, Woerner said.

Lawyer says Torin and Nina are a welcome addition to Wolfwood.

“They're happy and running around and playing, and it's always nice to see the change when they realize that they're home,” she said.

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