When she finally agreed to take in a pair of wolf dogs that had been running wild in Warwick a year ago, Susan Vogt didn't realize she was starting a relationship with a lot of Rhode Island residents that would end up helping support and expand her Ohio wolf-dog sanctuary.
Since the canine sisters, initially thought to be “black coyotes,” arrived at the Red Riding Hood Rescue Project last May, Rhode Islanders have donated thousands of dollars, food and toys, which have supported not just the two “401 Girls” but all 22 of the sanctuary's wolf dogs, said Vogt, co-founder and president.
“What happened was the biggest blessing,” said Vogt, whose three-year-old nonprofit rescue relies entirely on donations. “Rhode Islanders have been tremendously supportive.”
More:‘Fresh start:' Warwick wolf dogs start their new life in Ohio in the ‘401 Run'
Here are some examples of the connection between Rhode Island and the Ohio rescue often called just “The Red”:
A Coventry woman and her boyfriend drove 15 hours from Rhode Island to Middletown, Ohio, to deliver the wolf dogs to their new home.
A Warwick woman has become one of the rescue's volunteers, flying to Ohio to help out.
A Providence woman has provided thousands of dollars in matching funds for several projects to expand and improve the rescue. Vogt calls her “our East Coast Advocate,” because she also hands out the rescue's business cards and spreads the word about its mission.
The sanctuary keeps an active Facebook page with frequent updates on the wolf dogs. “Our digital analysis still shows Rhode Island is our biggest audience,” Vogt said.
Just last week, after Vogt mentioned on Facebook that the sanctuary was running low on meat, a Rhode Island woman contacted her to say she would send deer and bear meat recently harvested by family members.
More:DNA test confirms Warwick dogs mistaken for coyotes are part wolf. Here's how much.
Last spring the ‘black coyotes' made big news in Rhode Island
This time last spring, the two wolf dog pups, then called Libby and Bella, caused a stir running free around Warwick. They were eventually captured and ended up in the custody of the Warwick Animal Shelter but couldn't stay in Rhode Island because it's illegal to keep wolf dogs here.
