We have 14 Russian domesticated foxes, three non-Russian foxes, two coyotes, a wolf, and three New Guinea singing dogs.

Meet Amy Bassett, not your average pet owner. In fact, the animals she just rattled off, not actually her pets.

Amy and her husband, Dave, are the founders of a special conservation center in Southern California.

Their mission is to teach people about canines that aren't dogs but deserve our love and affection nonetheless.

And then to also make people want to be advocates for them.

Because who doesn't want to cuddle up to a fox, a coyote, or better yet, a wolf?

I'm Baudelaire and this is Atlas Obscira, a celebration of the world's strange, incredible, and wondrous places.

Today, we're going to Santa Yisabelle, California to the Judith A. Bassett Cainid Education and Conservation Center.

And with us are the Bassists, who've dedicated their lives to showing folks man has even more best friends than previously thought.

More after this.

The Okay, so before we get started, quick vocab lesson, the name of the center is the Judith A. Bassett

Canid Education and Conservation Center. A canid is a mammal of the dog family, You know, wolves, coyotes, jackals, etc.

Typically, we say canine, which works also, but canid is the more proper term. All right,

now that we got that in order, onto the episode.

Amy and Dave founded the center together, but they come from very different backgrounds.

I did not grow up with animals.

I am one of those people who every time they see an animal, a puppy squeals and wants to run up and give it love and make it love me.

So when I met Dave and I knew that he had this

strong history with animals, I immediately got excited and said, puppy, puppy, puppy, can we get a

puppy puppy puppy, puppy? But Dave is definitely the animal, one of the two of us. So I'll let him

tell his story. I've been around animals my whole life. The center, one reason the name is long as

actually named after my late mother. And she was a dog trainer. And so I've literally

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