Experts Solve The Mystery Of Yuki, The Shelter Dog That Wouldn’t Stop Growing

It was 2008, and Yuki's original owner was getting desperate. The small, shivering puppy they'd once rescued had transformed into a wild, snarling creature. The owner couldn't get Yuki to sit, let alone keep him on a leash and away from other people. It was like Yuki was another dog entirely.

To make matters worse, the gray-matted puppy wasn't really a "puppy" anymore. The energetic dog was getting too difficult for one person to control, and that alone was enough to make the owner seek outside help...that is, until he noticed another startling trait.

At eight-months, Yuki had grown to a bigger size than his owner could ever have expected. Of course puppies grow, but this much so soon was alarming enough that his owner decided to wipe their hands clean of the matter and make Yuki someone else's problem.

The owner dropped Yuki off at an animal shelter in hopes that they could find him a more suitable home. The shelter had seen all kinds of badly-behaved pups and wild animals in their time, but it soon became clear that they were no match for Yuki. So, they called in the big guns.

They knew of a nearby shelter that specialized in taking care of animals that other shelters couldn't handle. Owned by Kent and Nancy Smith, the animal shelter's staff and volunteers had overseen the most unruly animals, from badly-behaved dogs like Yuki to bobcats and cougars.

Settled in Naples, Florida, Kent and Nancy's shelter, Shy Wolf Sanctuary, has helped over 1,200 creatures in need. More than that, the Smiths have emphasized an educational approach to better unify humans with animals. They had no idea then how little they were prepared for an animal like Yuki.

Two staff members from Shy Wolf Sanctuary traveled over to bring Yuki to his new home. The gray dog needed special care and people who could actually understand him, and the staff members knew they were the best people for the job...until they met him face to face.

They'd been told that Yuki was a tough case, but it was still unnerving to see young Yuki thrashing around in fear when they approached. When he wasn't baring his teeth at them, he was glaring at them with small, yellow eyes. Of course, what really struck them as odd was his size.

For being only eight-months old, Yuki was big — weirdly big. One look at him and Kent and Nancy knew they weren't dealing with a normal pup. So, they arranged for Yuki's DNA to be tested. While they waited for the results, their hunch that something was up with Yuki was only reinforced by his behavior.

Yuki definitely didn't have the friendly, "man's best friend" attitude of other dogs. He was erratic at best and violent at worst, though he slowly got more comfortable at the sanctuary as time went on. Still, the sanctuary's staff tried to domesticate him...until an accident made doing so impossible.

When Yuki unexpectedly wounded his right knee against a palmetto, he needed five surgeries to fully heal. The painful experience only made poor Yuki even more unpredictable. Throughout that period, he became very particular about who was allowed into his cage.

It became apparent that the few staff members Yuki liked were women. When comfortable, Yuki could even manage to sit on one of their laps for a cute Instagram moment! Those moments were rare, however. Most of the time, the staff simply tried to figure out why he wouldn't stop growing.

When the DNA tests finally came back, the staff didn't know what to expect. As the owners of Shy Wolf Sanctuary, Kent and Nancy definitely had a feeling that Yuki's dog-like appearance didn't tell his entire story. And when they analyzed Yuki's DNA, they saw just how right they were.

Yuki had German Shepherd and Siberian Husky in his genetic makeup. With his inquisitive yet protective nature, this made sense, though the German Shepherd and Siberian Husky genes were only a fraction of his DNA. As it turned out, the other 87.5% of Yuki's DNA was grey wolf!

With that, everything started to make much more sense. It was no wonder his original owner couldn't handle Yuki — he wasn't a dog at all! Although pure wolves are known to be anti-social to humans, wolfdogs like Yuki are unpredictable. Whether or not he could be domesticated was unclear...

The staff at the sanctuary were hopeful that knowing Yuki's DNA would make it easier to domesticate him. After all, some wolfdogs can be successfully managed in a home...but it's a very low percentage. And with Yuki's injury and aversion to males, Shy Wolf Sanctuary became a permanent home for Yuki.

Growing up into an adult, Yuki weighed close to 120 pounds. He grew to be over five feet long, and by that time, the staff were grateful that Yuki was there to stay. After all, just because Yuki couldn't be fully domesticated didn't mean he couldn't have a family.

And thanks to the staff members at Shy Wolf Sanctuary, Yuki had his own fans, too! Through Instagram, the volunteers kept their followers up to date on the daily life of their very own wolfdog. They updated their followers on Yuki's favorite activities, and even on his love life.

Yuki went on to find a mate with a canine named Bella. To the shock of the staff, it was Bella who ended up being the alpha of the pair! The duo lived together happily for years, their lives broadcast on Instagram. But as Yuki got older, he received something no one expected: a cancer diagnosis.

Though heartbroken, Shy Wolf Sanctuary did their best to ensure that Yuki enjoyed his final days. In November 2020, after years of rescue, rehabilitation, and love, Yuki passed away. Though he would no longer roam the sanctuary, Yuki still managed to inspire Kent and Nancy into making a huge decision.

Inspired by their difficult but rewarding years with Yuki, the Shy Wolf Sanctuary successfully managed to purchase another area in Florida. With more funding, the staff will only continue to grow their animal haven. After all, it worked for Yuki —maybe even more animals could be saved.

Luckily a woman just a little further north of Yuki was very much on board with animal rescue. When she saw a dog in a bad spot, she and her family did what they’d done so many times with stray animals before: offered help. But what should’ve been a simple pick-up-and-return mission turned into a heartbreaking predicament that forced her to make some tough decisions.

That woman is Melissa Ringstaff, and she and her family have a motto: "We can't save the world, but we can do something about the one in front of us." And when it comes to animals, that's truly the motto they live by.

The philosophy regularly encouraged the family to help animals. They often scooped up lost animals wandering around Harlan, Kentucky, fed them, and found them homes. Such was the case with a certain Great Pyrenees...

Early on a Saturday morning, the Ringstaff family cruised down the highway, a 2-hour drive ahead. But in the opposite lane, they noticed a great, hulking dog, lying still in the road. Cars swerved to avoid him.

The Ringstaffs were concerned that the dog had been hit by a car. Melissa's husband Mykal, a pastor, flipped on the car's hazards lights and pulled the truck over. They got out of the vehicle to inspect the canine.

But as soon as Melissa and her gang stepped into the road the dog stood up and walked over to them, curiously showing no sign of injury. It was then Melissa saw the heartbreaking reason the dog was staying so still...

Off in the ditch lining the highway, another dog had been hit by a car. Tragically, he didn't live to tell the tale. By the looks of it, the dog in the road had been guarding his fallen friend. The sight "broke my heart," Melissa wrote.

The Ringstaffs tried luring the dog into their truck, but he refused to leave his friend behind. Heartbroken, the family left the stubborn pooch for the moment (they were, after all, on a day trip). But ten hours later, they returned.

The dog hadn't left, though he'd moved out of the road. So, committed to saving the world in front of them, the Ringstaffs hoisted the massive dog into their truck. Like so many other lost dogs, they'd find his home, too.

But as the Ringstaffs drove with the dog in their truck, searching for the collarless dog's home, local after local told the same story—one as tragic as the lost dog's situation.

Those dogs, the locals explained, belonged to someone who moved away. They left the dogs behind to fend for themselves, leading to one's demise. The abandoned and lonely Great Pyrenees had no home to return to.

Worse, the dogs had apparently been living on the side of the highway for a couple of days. So, hearts broken once more, the animal-loving Melissa and her family knew what they had to do: make this dog's world a better place.

The Ringstaffs brought the dog home, fed him, bathed him, and gave him a haircut. When night fell, she led him to a brand new kennel. But the dog didn't sleep.

Instead, he broke from the kennel in the dead of night and disappeared from the Ringstaff home. The second Melissa spotted the kennel with a now-broken door, the family went out searching for him. It should've been easy. It's not like the big dog was in disguise...

All day, the Ringstaffs searched, asking everyone they passed if they'd seen an enormous dog teetering along. They drove to the Humane Society and police stations. They couldn't find the Great Pyrenees anywhere.

In fact, the Ringstaffs spent three days looking for the dog, putting over 100 miles on their car driving around the small Kentucky town. Finally, they spotted the pooch.

Just a few miles from the Ringstaff home, the pooch sat on a stranger's porch, happy to see Melissa and her kids! The next day, Melissa bought him dog tags—with his new name.

At first inspired by the 2009 film Hachi: A Dog's Tale they called him Hachi. Like the dog in the film, Melissa wrote, "we'd found him loyally staying with his buddy who died." But they ultimately chose a happier name.

"In the end," Melissa wrote, "we named him Tucker." Though simple, the name somehow perfectly fit the dog's personality. "He's incredibly sweet, very gentle, and we've yet to hear him bark." He's Tucker. And really, from the moment they first spotted him on the side of the road, he was a Ringstaff.