Police have raided the creepy forest farm of a man who kept wild wolf-dog hybrids after the pack killed a neighbour’s pet and terrorized the area.
Shasta County Sheriff’s Department deputies raided the property in Shingletown last week, recovering three dogs and seven puppies, three of which are still at large.
The ‘wild’ animals – owned by David Celis – attacked and killed a medium-sized dog on March 26, and struck again last week, local police said.
Speak with KRCRCelis said the pet his dogs attacked and killed was “no angel” as he shot the officers who raided his home.
He told the outlet, “That dog they supposedly killed, he was no angel. The owner came by a few times to pick it up.
“I said you know what’s going to happen if your dog keeps coming here and bothering these guys. They’re going to jump the fence and go get him.”
Shasta County Sheriff’s Department deputies raided the property in Shingletown last week and recovered three dogs and seven puppies, three of which are still at large.
The ‘wild’ animals, owned by David Celis, seen here attacked and killed a medium-sized dog on March 26.
The ‘wild’ animals attacked and killed three-year-old Chief on March 26, and struck again last week, local police said
Celis added: “I’m not negligent, I didn’t let them out of the yard on purpose.”
Celis also hit back at the officers, saying, “He’s an inhuman man, and you know what, they didn’t let me do anything.
“They made me stand there for five hours the first day and if you move you’ll be handcuffed.”
Celis claims he does everything he can to keep his animals on his property, but his dogs still manage to find a way to escape.
He added: ‘It’s when I leave. When I go to Redding, or do my chores and pay bills in Redding, they leave. When I’m not there.’
The dog in question was three-year-old Australian-Pyrenees mix Chief, who was mauled to death by five of the dogs.
The sheriff’s office had obtained warrants to enter the property after receiving “reports regarding how these animals were behaving toward the public.”
All recovered dogs were transported to Haven Humane Society in Anderson, where they will be held until a hearing.
Celis claims he does everything he can to keep his animals on his property, but his dogs still manage to find a way to escape. Here one of the animals is captured
The sheriff’s office had obtained a warrant to enter the property after receiving “reports of how these animals were behaving toward the public.”
The dogs are seen mauling the first of two domesticated canines to fall victim to the crisis – an attack that took place in the family’s driveway
Officers have already taken one of the dogs into custody after Celis surrendered him to authorities
In a statement, the office said, “The Shasta County Sheriff’s Office continues its efforts to address a pack of dogs roaming the Lake McCumber area.
“As this investigation progressed, further information allowed the Sheriff’s Office to obtain warrants to seize the dogs from their owner.
“On Wednesday, April 10 and Thursday, April 11, officers and animal control officers served the arrest warrants at a home on Shenandoah Drive, Shingletown.
‘To date, three adult dogs and seven puppies have been successfully captured. While executing these arrest warrants, staff were unable to successfully capture three additional adult dogs that had escaped from the property.
“The captured dogs have been taken to Haven Humane where they will remain pending a hearing. Efforts to capture the remaining three dogs will continue.”
In an emotional interview, Chief’s owner Sharina Clark lamented her loss, as previously reported KRCR-7“The first week we were here pretty much grieving, and then we had to bury our dog. And after we buried him, I started investigating what was going on.”
“I don’t want anyone to get hurt and this is an elderly community,” said owner Sharina Clark, asking that her face not be shown for fear the mutt’s owner would retaliate.
His owner buried Chief in the family’s backyard, choosing the spot because it was his favorite place to nap
Russel McCoy – a resident who lives two doors down from the sometimes-fenced pack – added that his garden has also been encroached upon by the pack
This attention led her to her neighbor and the conclusion that the pack is not wild, but simply cruel and uncontrolled.
Clark added, “I don’t want anyone to get hurt and this is a community of seniors.”
She also shared their security camera footage showing the pack approaching their front door after the fatal attack, trying to get her other dog, who was still inside.
She added: “We are the youngest family here. The next day, [the pack] came back and my daughter was out ten minutes early.”
Russel McCoy added that his yard has also been imposed by the pack, which he said is “released every time [the owner] leave the house.
‘He generally leaves every day somewhere between 10 and 11 in the morning. And within minutes of him leaving, at least two are out, if not four or five.”
Shingletown, meanwhile, is about 175 miles north of Sacramento. Known for its timber industry, it was once a camp for workers cutting roof battens to supply miners during the Gold Rush era.
As for the Clarks, they have since buried Chief in the family’s backyard, choosing a particular spot to be his favorite place to nap. The other dog mentioned by police, which also died, has not been identified.