The two wolf dogs had been quarantined at the South Kingstown Pound since shortly after the state Department of Environmental Management ordered them removed from Carothers's Meadow Tree Farm Road property Aug. 11.
Carothers's 19-year-old son, Matthew, had brought three hybrids from a breeder in Alabama. DEM enforcement officers became aware of the animals, when Gabe got loose.
Wolf hybrids are strictly regulated in the state because they are considered wild animals. DEM issues permits to care for wildlife only to rescue facilities, zoos and research centers.
The hybrids were taken to Washington County Veterinary Hospital, where one was euthanized because of heart worm disease. They were transferred to the pound after Matthew made a rescue attempt.
Gabe, 6, and Cotton, 1, will join 44 other hybrids at the 48-acre sanctuary, including six wolf-dog pups taken last year from a home in Coventry. In the past week, seven of the hybrids escaped from an enclosure. Trappers were hired to help capture the animals; four remain loose in the immediate vicinity, said William Russell, a Massachusetts state trooper who co-owns the lodge.
Earlier this month, a judge found Russell's partner guilty of having nuisance dogs after neighbors complained about howling. Russell said he planned to file an appeal and is working with the police chief to resolve the problems.