I rescued a ‘shy stray dog’ with a collar – but it was really a wild animal and I quickly realized why it was abandoned

A DOG that had been rescued in California had a shocking connection to a wild animal despite being found with a collar.

Named “New Boy,” the pup was wandering around in Los Angeles in a makeshift collar when a local shelter grabbed him.

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After initially believing that the dog was “just another stray,” the staff were quickly suspicious that he might be a wolf-dog, per The Dodo.

Nevertheless, the pet still needs to be rescued, but the trouble is that shelters aren’t typically allowed to keep wild animals and don’t have the appropriate resources to house them anyways.

This meant that New Boy would be euthanized if he stayed.

To avoid this outcome, the shelter contacted several wolf and wolf-dog rescue centers around the greater Los Angeles area but had no luck.

So, the staff decided to go national with their pursuit of a center that would take care of New Boy.

Ultimately, Michelle Proulx, the director of animal care at WOLF Sanctuary, located in Colorado, caught notice of one-year-old New Boy.

Proulx told The Dodo that she immediately realized the wolf-dog was in bad shape.

“He obviously had not been taken care of very well for awhile,” she explained.

“He is in very, very rough shape, physically.”

According to the sanctuary’s diagnosis, New Boy was dehydrated, emaciated, and filled with parasites.

He had also developed a severe case of mange, among other conditions.

Luckily, WOLF Sanctuary had availability, and after an 18-hour drive, New Boy arrived at the facility for further care.

Soon after, Wellington Veterinary Hospital added to the list of issues that New Boy suffered from, including anemia, inflamed feet, and ticks.

Therefore, Proulx had the wolf-dog transferred to an “off-site infirmary” for special care.

New Boy’s personality seems to coincide with these conditions when the pup first came to WOLF Sanctuary.

“When we first met him he was extremely timid and very scared,” Proulx told the publication.

“When people would come around, he would try to get to the farthest corner away that he could. He would look for escape routes, try to find his way out of his enclosure so he could get farther away from the people coming.”

Now, the time under care has apparently helped positively adjust the wolf-dog’s personality.

“I think he’s starting to realize that it’s going to be okay,” Proulx noted.

“We’re not seeing the same intensely fearful animal that we met initially.”

She continued that most wolves or wolf-dogs like New Boy died before they’re the age of two if they’re mistaken as pets.

“The reason for that is because wolves are not dogs, and wolf dogs are not dogs,” Proulx explained.

“People don’t realize that when they go out to get them as a pet… People tend to give them up because they’re not easy pets.”

The director added that New Boy was likely abandoned by his owners because of his wild tendencies.

WOLF Sanctuary intended to bring a female wolf companion for New Boy to the shelter and nurse him back to health.

For more related content, check out The US Sun’s coverage of parents who kept a wild animal as a pet, but some have gone as far as to say they should kill it instead.

The US Sun also has the story of a dog walker that rescued an abandoned pup, although it turned out to be a very different wild animal.