Shingletown dog-wolf pack owner speaks out

SHINGLETOWN, Calif. — After refusing to speak to our reporter earlier this week, David Celis the owner of the wolf-dog hybrid pack reached out Friday, hoping to give his side of the story. Celis contacted KRCR's Max Tedford to initially talk about what he calls the rough treatment of his animals by animal control, but the conversation quickly moved on from there.

“It’s inhumane man, and you know, they wouldn’t let me do nothing," Celis said. "They made me stand there for five hours the first day and if you move you’re gonna get hand cuffed.”

Celis says after animal control officers and Shasta deputies confiscated three adults and seven puppies from his property in the Battle Creek Subdivision of Shingletown on Thursday, he feels the Sheriff’s office has refused to work with him. However that’s just not accurate, with county officials trying to get him to surrender the dogs several times, to no success.

"Well I wanted it in writing that they wouldn’t, they wouldn’t put them down,” he said as to why he refused.

The conversation then turned to Chief, the dog his animals killed on camera March 26th.

“That dog they supposedly killed, he was no angel,” Celis said.

Claiming Chief had escaped multiple times previously and barked at his dogs from the other side of the fence. Something his own dogs are notorious for in the Battle Creek Subdivision. With several neighbors reporting just this week his animals had showed up to their property and threatened them or their animals.

“The owner came over a couple times to get him, I said you know what’s gonna happen if your dog keeps coming over here and harassing these guys, " Celis said . "They’re gonna jump the fence and go get him."

However, the Clarks, Chief’s owners, had invested thousands of dollars through electric collars and higher fences to keep chief contained. Where Ceils' fence line is a mess of leaning wood, and broken chain-link.

“Your dogs killed Chief in revenge?," our reporter, Max Tedford asked. "Yes," Celis replied.

"Why, so knowing your dogs are going to go out and kill this dog in revenge, why would you..." Max Tedford started.

"I didn’t know, I’m not negligent I didn’t purposely let them out of the yard," Celis interrupted.

Going on to say he’s been doing all he can to keep his animals contained. Claiming he does daily work on his fence, and that the twenty nearby residents who have claimed his dogs get out almost daily are exaggerating. However he admitted it does happen often.

“It's when I leave, he said. "If I go to Redding, or go do my chores and pay bills in Redding, that’s when they get out. When I’m not there.”

Insisting he’s been working hard to both contain the dogs and get rid of them. Claiming every time his animals would have puppies he'd post them for sale in the local paper, but could never find anyone to take them. Which is somewhat contradictory to the fact that he has not spayed or neutered the majority of the animals, nor has he vaccinated them. With other residents claiming the seven puppies deputies confiscated are just the latest batch of multiple litters his dogs have birthed.

"If you know that your dogs get out and they roam why did you not get them fixed," Tedford asked.

"I don't have the transportation to get there with that dog, and I told you he's not very good with climbing into a vehicle," Celis said. "So how did you end up with these dogs in the first place?" Tedford asked.

"I just told, they gradually came in and over the years. I've lived there 24 years man." Celis said.

"And so you what, found these dogs, bought these dogs, what?"

"Well the first one yeah," Celis admitted. "Then I got a female as a mate. "

"So you raised these dogs?"

"Then they had pups, and I tried to find them homes, and nobody or sanctuary would take them, they were full," Celis claimed.

"So Dave, you just said you were breeding these dogs."

“I'm not breeding, I wasn't breeding anything. It just happened man! I’m not trying to breed dogs!" he said.

”Dave, you got two dogs that were not fixed. You did not get them fixed. What else is gonna happen?" Tedford asked.

"I don’t know, it’s what happened I guess," Celis replied.

"Do you not understand how dogs work Dave?" Tedford asked. "I’m confused here."

"Now you know this is why I didn’t want to talk to you because I think you’re an ****** man," Celis exclaimed. "That’s why I didn't want to talk to you"

"Dave, I’m just"

"Interview over. Goodbye.”

Celis has his day in court for previous violations related to his animals on April 30. The hearing on the future of the dogs that have been secured has not yet been set.