You can rest easy Thursday night as a potentially dangerous wolf dog is no longer roaming Collier County.
The missing wolf dog named Eva is back safe and sound. She became loose after a volunteer at the Shy Wolf Sanctuary spooked the animal. Eva climbed out of a 10-foot fence and raced away.
Deanna Deppen, who works at the Shy Wolf Sanctuary, said it is impossible to anticipate what an animal would do, just as people are also unpredictable.
“They all have a mind of their own,” Deppen said. “We take every experience with animals and learn from it and we apply it to the next animal that comes in.”
The sanctuary said Eva arrived two days ago and had no reason to believe she would act that way.
“We hadn’t had time to truly evaluate her,” Deppen said. “But the owner stayed with her the first night and spent the night with her. She made no efforts to escape.”
The people who run the sanctuary said their current fences do not jet inward at the top, which makes it impossible to escape. But, they claim its animals have not challenged them, so there is no reason to change them. Additionally, it is up to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission standards.
“We’ve got many many years of not having a situation like this,” Deepen said. “The community has stood behind us and supported us.”
However, after Eva pointed out a weakness, the sanctuary will take a look at its enclosures to make necessary updates. It may also reevaluate its process of taking animals in.
There is an investigation underway. Collier County Domestic Animal Services is in charge because FWC deems Eva a dog. As for Eva, whether she will remain at the sanctuary is up in the air.
Right now, Eva is in an enclosed area with a roof. Deppen did say it was not negligence that led to Eva’s escape.
“I call it an exceptional animal that showed behavior beyond the norm and we are gong to address whatever happened appropriately,” Deepen said, “so that it won’t happen with another animal in the future.”