Local animal resources expert weighs in on 40 feral wolf-dogs found in Davidson Co. home

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    FORSYTH COUNTY, North Carolina (WXII) — An animal resources professional is weighing in after the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office found 40 feral wolf-dog hybrids and an elderly woman living in a Denton trailer home.

On Monday, the sheriff’s office arrested Ervin Berry with one count of felony domestic elderly abuse/neglect with serious injuries, one misdemeanor local ordinance charge and 20 counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty charges.

The sheriff’s office says the older woman is being treated for injuries sustained from the dogs and is in very serious condition.

Maria Wood is a community resources animal navigator in Forsyth County. She is a board member with Fur-Ever Friends of North Carolina and has done independent animal resources work for four years.

Over her years in the field, she says she’s seen an alarming increase in animal hoarding and abuse cases.

“I will say this is probably the worst I’ve ever seen it as far as hoarding cases,” she said. “They’re left and right, they’re popping up here and there.”

She says she has helped coordinate a wolf-dog hybrid case once. She says in that situation, there was only one wolf-dog hybrid, but has never seen them on this scale.

“I had to find a breed-specific rescue for that dog, and I could not do it in the state of North Carolina,” she said. “That was the first time I’d ever heard of that breed of dog.”

She says it is illegal to own those kinds of dogs in North Carolina. With the dogs in Davidson County being sick and feral, she says they could’ve injured more people.

“It could’ve imposed a huge threat to the community and other animals in the community, and it could’ve been really bad,” she said. “The sad part is that they pay the price, and this woman did too.”

Wood says while she is seeing more hoarding and abuse cases, she is also seeing the community engage more with animal abuse issues.

She says it is common for several kinds of abuse to be taking place at once.

“I think that it’s important for people to know that there is a correlation, a very high percentage of correlation between elder abuse, animal abuse and child abuse,” she said. “Where there is one, there is another.”

She encourages people to be aware of local leash laws and ordinances, and if they see something, to say something.

“If somebody sees any kind of animal abuse or feels like an animal is being neglected or is concerned, we can also request a welfare check be done,” she said.

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