A pack of wolf-dogs that were facing the threat of euthanasia will instead live in an Ontario sanctuary after being seized by the provincial government, their owner said Wednesday.

Bryton Bongard said he doesn’t have word on the exact location, but the provincial Ministry of Natural Resources told him the animals will be housed within driving distance of his home in Wahnapitae, Ont., about 50 kilometres north of Sudbury.

He said authorities previously told him his grey and black wolf-dogs would be “disposed of” if no sanctuary could be found, spurring hundreds to sign a petition urging the province to save the animals.

“We’re doing a lot better now,” he said in an interview Wednesday. 

“At least now at the end of the day, when they come for my dogs, I know they are going to be alive when they leave my property and I can go see them.”

Four years ago, Bongard received several puppies from a friend, and there are now 16 wolf-dogs in the pack. They live in a fenced enclosure in his backyard that he said cost him around $35,000 to build.

The fence is roughly eight feet tall, and dig-proof aprons are buried three feet underground to make sure the hybrids don’t escape, he said. 

But the government is seizing them because it is against the law to keep wildlife native to Ontario as pets or in captivity, with some exceptions for places like zoos and rehabilitation facilities. 

The Ministry of Natural Resources didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Bongard confirmed he pleaded guilty to keeping the wolf-dogs illegally on Monday and was fined $5,500, money that he said will go towards building a new enclosure large enough for the pack. 

It wasn’t clear when the government might seize the dogs, he said. 

“They do not have the enclosure set up for them yet, unfortunately, so I’m going keep the dogs in my custody until that is done,” he said. 

He said he was thrilled to learn his animals will stay alive and live together in one enclosure after he was kept in the dark for months. 

“I was very much pleased that they finally said what the plan was, like what’s going on,” he said, adding that “they weren’t telling me nothing” during the dispute. 

Bongard, who is a butcher by trade, said he hopes to continue donating meat scraps to feed the wolf-dogs, and visit them as often as he can. 

“It’s a good deal for me, it works out for the dogs … and everyone gets to walk away happy now,” he said.