As soon as she received the call, she stopped what she was doing and made her way to Broward County almost immediately. Her eyes widened when she saw the massive animal up close. Her stomach sank as she stared straight into his yellow eyes, knowing full well what power those muscles lurked underneath his elegant black coat. She knew she&#8217;d been duped, and the DNA results would prove it. But all she could think of now was hoping that the animal wouldn&#8217;t have to suffer because of it.

The Truth 

Nancy Smith, the creator of her wildlife sanctuary and a passionate animal lover, was resolved to aid all animals who need help. Her facility provides a safe haven for animals in need as well as rehabilitative services. Her workforce, which she personally chose for the positions over the years, was dedicated and enthusiastic. Nobody expected to be hosting a creature that would burden them with dozens of unanswered questions.

She Was Dedicated

Throughout her ten years volunteering at the sanctuary, Brittany Allen accumulated a significant experience in working with exotic animals. Her first reaction to seeing their new rescue was a sense of urgency. He was the scariest thing she&#8217;d ever seen, but she felt a strong connection with him right away. However, as she learned the reality about his past, she felt a surge of rage within her.

The New Rescue 

One day before Nancy drove to Browen Animal Shelter to pick up an animal; she received an unusual call. She had been instructed by a man who wanted to remain anonymous that he needed to deliver an animal immediately. When Nancy enquired as to why he explained that the creature had grown &#8220;significantly bigger&#8221; than he had anticipated&#8230;

A Strange Conversation 

Nancy informed the man that the sanctuary was filled but that she would contact him as soon as a spot became available. But it appears it wasn&#8217;t enough for him. He informed Nancy that a friend of his bought the dog from a breeder and only realized much later that he could not handle it. The following day Nancy got an urgent call from Broward Animal Shelter.

Urgency

Broward Animal Shelter workers were very experienced as they take in dozens of animals each year, but nothing like this had ever happened. They quickly realized they were out of their depth when they saw the creature bound up outside. They summoned Nancy Smith, appealing to her to arrive as soon as possible. The first order of business was to get the beast to a secure place, after which they would engage with the authorities.

Out Of Their Depth 

When Nancy got to the animal shelter, she was greeted by a spectacle she&#8217;d never seen before. In his cage, isolated, a colossal, monstrous creature paced. As he growled, his claws clicked on the ground, and his massive jaw hung open. What on earth could he be? Nancy&#8217;s spine shivered when she saw the enormity of his skull and teeth. The fact that he stood five feet and four inches tall made it obvious he wasn&#8217;t a dog or wolf. She was stunned to hear what had happened when she spoke with the staff member who came across him.

Definitely Not A Dog 

It wasn&#8217;t a coincidence, since Nancy knew who had brought in the gigantic animal. It was tethered just outside the sanctuary and had been brought in as a &#8220;stray.&#8221; After contacting her, the negligent owner abandoned him at the local shelter! The worst part was, he wasn&#8217;t even a dog.

She Knew Who Did It

Nancy was deeply touched by the plight of the beast. Evidently, the owner didn&#8217;t do much research before adopting a hybrid as a pet. The poor animal now has to pay the price for the owner&#8217;s foolishness. She loaded him into the van, her blood seething. A DNA test was the first step in validating her hypotheses. This would enable her to hold him responsible. However, the results surprised even her.

Ignorant Owner 

In contrast to many animals who end up there, Yuki was mostly in good health when he was brought to the sanctuary. It was striking how kind he was and how much he enjoyed greeting people. At one point, he was even considered for an ambassadorship, despite his dismal appearance. Yuki&#8217;s actual personality, however, didn&#8217;t take long to emerge.

Meet Yuki 

Nancy and her team at Shy Wolf Sanctuary conducted a DNA test on Yuki, and Nancy’s worst suspicions were confirmed. The results of the DNA test confirmed that Yuki was, in fact, 87.5 % Gray Wolf, 8.6 % Siberian Husky, and 3.9 % German Shepherd. He was a high-content wolfdog &#8212; a breed that is illegal to own or breed in Florida

A DNA Test

Humans have always been attracted to the majestic and wild nature of wolves. That’s why wolf-dog hybrids are on the rise. Uneducated breeders and buyers hope to end up with a breed that is as aesthetically pleasing as a wolf, but as loyal and friendly as a dog. 
But many people aren’t aware of the repercussions &#8212; both for people and the wolfdogs.

Wolfdogs

Creating wolf-dog hybrids is risky because it’s difficult to determine exactly which traits from both breeds are going to be more dominant. The puppies could look like wolves and have the personality of a dog, or vice versa. But there are other issues that arise with these dogs, too. These issues often lead to abandonment when the owner realizes exactly what they’ve gotten into…

A Dangerous Gamble

Wolves and wolfdogs need a lot more space to run, a lot more food, and a lot more time to properly train than their owners expect &#8212; and they often become too much to handle for the average dog owner. And, since wolfdogs are too tame to be released back into the wild and too wild to be taken in by a dog shelter, they have nowhere to go. This is exactly what happened to Yuki.

Nowhere To Go

Nancy’s shelter, Shy Wolf Sanctuary, has seen a dramatic rise in abandoned wolfdogs since they opened their doors 20 years ago. The sanctuary now rescues 20-100 wolfdogs like Yuki annually from all over the United States. Even though the sanctuary’s first rescue was a 3-legged leopard, wolfdogs have become the most abandoned exotic pet. But before Nancy could even think about trying to track down his previous owner, something happened that changed the wolfdog’s life forever.

ShyWolf Sanctuary

Shortly after arriving at Shy Wolf Sanctuary, Yuki was roaming around the outdoor space when he suddenly caught his leg on a palmetto which opened up a wound on his right rear knee. This wound ended up taking a total of 5 surgeries to finally repair! 
It was during this time that the team noticed that Yuki had started to become cage aggressive.

Change In Behavior

Despite his injury and subsequent aggression, Yuki’s personality started to develop. And soon, he had a very small group of women that he trusted and would allow them to come into his den. Among this group was Brittany. But, little did the team at the sanctuary know, Yuki was about to become an internet sensation.

Trust Issues

One day, Brittany decided to post a picture of Yuki on the sanctuary’s Facebook page. This photo showed Yuki’s size &#8212; he was a giant compared to 5”4 Brittany, who was also in the photo. Soon after the photo was posted, it went viral. 
Nobody could believe that the wolfdog was so enormous, and many claimed that the photo was photoshopped.

Internet Star

But Britney hit back at the claims, stating: “It’s just his fat angle guys. We all have one”. It wasn’t long before the photo was shared and commented on by Facebook users all over the world. Everyone was fascinated with Yuki.“They definitely are creatures that demand respect. It would be a much different encounter in the wild than what I do with these guys. The animals I work with have never been in the wild and never will be, so they are more socialized,” Brittany explains.

Going Viral

“We show off their adorable moments in the hope of helping people identify with them at least and maybe change their fear response into a healthy respect through education,” Brittany continued, “&#8230;And also giving an animal a chance at a decent life when otherwise they would be euthanized.” 
Despite the delight that the photo brought to fans, some bad news would soon make its way to the sanctuary.

Educating The Public

For a while now, Yuki hadn’t been himself. He wasn’t eating that much and his excited attitude seemed to slowly fade away. Even when one of the team members played with his favorite toy, Yuki was not interested in the slightest. He seemed to mope around his enclosure, occasionally engaging in a bit of playtime. The team knew they needed answers.

Not Himself

It turned out that Yuki had cancer that, unfortunately, was terminal. While the team had dealt with that particular cancer before, they knew Yuki was a fighter and would hopefully persevere through it as long as he could. Yuki had been fighting cancer for a while, so the team made sure that they would make the best of their time with their favorite wolfdog.

Bad News

Since arriving at the shelter back in 2008, Yuki has definitely made his mark. His outgoing and cheeky personality is what made him a favorite with the guests and staff. He&#8217;s been at the sanctuary for 12 years and won a lot of hearts along the way. But Yuki did something monumental for Shy Wolf Sanctuary.

Making His Mark

“Today, Yuki is one of the most interesting animals in the sanctuary. He is not an easy guy to get to know, but he does have a small number of volunteers he has bonded with,” said Jeremy Albrecht. “He has gained the nickname “Woowoo” because when he sees any of his chosen volunteers that is the noise he makes, beckoning that volunteer to come spend time with him.” 
And, since Yuki’s photo went viral, the sanctuary has seen a huge increase in support and visitors. Nancy and her team continue to raise awareness about the plight of wolfdogs everywhere.

Rare Wolfdog So Big That Owner Orders DNA Test