The seemingly aggressive wolf-dogs that were on the loose in Natomas recently have been rescued by a California sanctuary, and just last week, the sanctuary rescued three more wolf-dogs from the same neighborhood.

"All of our animals have been rescued from either abuse, neglect, or sometimes just owners who buy wolf-dogs as puppies, and then once they get older don't realize how much work goes into them," said Anjali Ranadivé, the founder of the sanctuary Women for Wolves.

Roughly 30 wolves and wolf-dogs are living at the El Dorado County sanctuary, with five of them being rescued from the same neighborhood in Natomas. 

"When we were asked to come and rescue them, I had never seen conditions like this and I have been doing this for almost nine years now," Ranadivé said. "They were living in literally layers and layers of grime and filth."

Anjali says the three wolf-dogs who were spotted roaming Natomas, prompting a public safety alert from officials, escaped their living situation out of hunger – unfortunately, harming a family pet on the street in the process. 

"It's unfair to blame them for attacking a pet, which my heart goes out to that owner who lost the cat. It's obviously devastating," Ranadivé said.

The three wolf-dogs, all under the age of two, are now living at the sanctuary until they're healthy enough to be transferred to a sister sanctuary in North Carolina. 

"Our vets instructed us to basically get some food in them and put them on antibiotics because they all [have] have severe infections," Ranadivé said.

Anjali -- the daughter of Sacramento Kings owner Vivek Ranadivé and herself previously the general manager of the NBA G-League Stockton Kings -- says wolves and wolf-dogs are misunderstood. She says they're incredibly shy by nature and says even the three malnourished recent rescues have been tame and docile. 

"Wolves are essential for our ecosystems and they help maintain balance," Ranadivé said. "Wolf-dogs only exist because we created them."

Women for Wolves cite numbers showing roughly 90 percent of wolf-dogs in California are euthanized.

Mufasa and Scar have been with Women for Wolves for five months now. Anjali says the difference in their health and behavior since living at the sanctuary is night and day. 

"People think it's a cool idea to have a wolf or wolf-dog in their apartment, for example, and they don't realize the care that goes into having those animals," Ranadivé said.

Women for Wolves encourages owners of all animals to spay and neuter their pets. The other three wolf-dog rescues are still gaining strength and being vetted until they can be moved to their forever home. 

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