A Lost Dog Encounters A Pack Of Wild Coyotes With A Strange End Result
Many people aren't aware of the rising population of coyotes. Naturally, it might not be the most exciting thing to catch your attention. However, for people with pets that like to venture on their own occasionally, this should be on their radar.
One day, two humane society workers, Sarah Nace and Nicole Asher, witnessed a stray dog surrounded by wild coyotes in Kingston, New York. At first, they feared for the dog, but after closer examination, the truth revealed itself. Dive in and discover the shocking events that happened with this dog dealing with the pack of coyotes.
Sarah Nace Sees Trouble
Nace works with Lost Pets of Hudson Valley and is fully aware of the rising coyote population in the area she lives in. One day, she took notice of a stray dog running around Kingston, New York.
Her natural response was to be worried about the safety of the dog, as we all would all be if we knew there was a potential threat out there with the coyotes. She knew that she should attempt to capture the dog and take him to the rescue shelter where he would be safe.
An Interesting Connection
Nace simply wanted the dog to have a friendly family to look after him in a safe home. Then she noticed that the stray dog wasn't so stray. It was a member of the wild pack of coyotes! Nace reached out to her local dog shelter for help.
Founder of Buddha Dog Rescue, Nicole Asher answered the call and discussed how she and Nace could find the dog in the forest in New York and safely take him away from the coyotes.
Breaking Down The Situation
A dog becoming friends with a pack of coyotes isn't something that happens every day. Because of that, Asher needed to observe the situation. She had to figure out what was going on.
“He was being sighted constantly, playing with them, running with them,” founder Asher said in an interview. “How he integrated with them we don’t know. We have no idea.” Above all else, the coyotes had seemed to take a liking to the dog.
This Happens In Nature, But Not In The Real World
A dog getting inducted into a coyote pack isn't something you see every day. There are few wild dogs running around the forest who live a long life, as many domestic dogs don't know how to fend for themselves. However, it's possible.
“It’s not unheard of," Asher said. "There are ‘coy dogs’ out there, coyote-dog hybrids, [which] happen when dogs and coyotes mate. But it’s rarely seen in person—you know, dogs hanging with coyotes.”
Coyotes Don't Trust Easily
No one should ever expect a coyote to be warm and welcoming. They share a few of the same traits as dogs and produce similar noises, but they are way more fierce than meets the eye. A coyote is not one who trusts or accepts readily.
Humans and even big dogs can make the coyote flustered, which is why they like to keep their distance. The stray dog must have left a great first impression for these Kingston coyotes to let him join the pack.
Making The Right Decision
The stray dog might have fit in well with the coyotes, but experts still weren't convinced. The folks over at Buddha Dog Rescue & Recovery examined the dog's coyote-like tendencies but thought a different environment would be better for him in the long run.
A place with a yard, regularly scheduled meals, and more frequent belly rubs are the goals of Buddha Dog Rescue & Recovery for this pup. This prompted Asher to decide to attempt to capture the canine.
Putting A Plan In Action
How do you capture a dog that runs with coyotes? Since this isn't Looney Tunes, Asher had to formulate a proper strategy. It wasn't going to be easy catching this stray dog safely.
“The first thing we needed to do was get the dog constantly coming back to a certain spot,” Asher explained. “We set up a feeding station monitored by a trail camera.” Eventually, the dog showed up and munched. However, how would she separate him from the coyotes?
Bring On The Trap
Soon enough, the dog became familiar with the location of the food and made regular appearances to eat. Asher knew it was time to set a trap for the unsuspecting doggo.
In just two nights, the dog eventually walked right into the cage set up for him. Perhaps Asher expected a tougher challenge, but he was able to be effortlessly captured. “He was a fairly easy trapping,” Asher remembered. We're sure she would love for all of her catches to be that easy.
Transitioning The Dog Back To Normalcy
After Asher captured the dog, she decided to give him an official name. She had Looney Tunes on her mind because she named him Wiley after the crazy coyote continually trying to catch the roadrunner.
The two ventured out to Ramapo-Bergen Animal Refuge in Oakland, New Jersey to begin Wiley's new life and treatment. Since Wiley was hanging with the coyotes for so long, he needed a lot of help. The road to recovery then began.
The Shocking Results
As it turns out, Wiley was a mess. The crew had to take all the ticks off of him and then gave him a well-deserved bath. Once they finished the cleaning job, it was time to take a few tests.
Sadly, Wiley had multiple diseases. Wiley got diagnosed with Lyme disease and anaplasmosis. The latter affected the heart and made Wiley anemic. Since both of these were severe, they had to take immediate action.
Perfect Timing
Everything happens for a reason, or so they say. In this case, if Nace had not called Asher to help when she did, then perhaps Wiley would have been in some serious danger.
The team of rescuers helped Wiley a great deal. They gave him plenty of antibiotics and showed him relentless love and affection. Fatigue, rashes, and headaches are a few symptoms that Lyme disease cause. The coyotes may have accepted him, but they couldn't have helped Wiley the way the rescuers can.
Finding His Original Home
After Wiley received the proper treatment, the rescuers started another mission. We know the coyotes weren't his true home, so they sought out to find if he had a place to call home.
Some dogs have a microchip inserted in them, so they started by checking for one, but didn't have any luck. Next, they looked for any missing dog inquiries, and still nothing. The last chance was to spot any form of identification. They couldn't find anything.
Asher's Thoughts On The Situation
The team put in so much effort attempting to find out if Wiley had a previous owner. It got to the point of exhaustion and hopelessness. It looked like they were going to have to find a new home for this stray dog.
“We don’t know if he’s someone’s lost pet; we’ve been scouring the internet, calling the local authorities,” Asher stated. “There’ve been no reports of lost dogs fitting his description. We think he was either a stray or dumped.”
The Big Question Arises
After all the tests and searching for his rightful home, a serious set of questions were burning to become answered. First, the team did some research of their own on little Wiley.
They determined that he was about two years old. Next, they pieced together that he was stray for about 18 months. So, one of the questions was if Wiley would ever be able to become a regular dog. Did the wild lifestyle rub off on him too much?
Getting Back On Track
Luckily for Wiley, he turned out to be a warrior of a dog. With the odds were stacked against him, but he persevered through and eventually became healthy enough to become adopted.
Asher spoke very highly of his situation stating: “I think he’s going to be ready for adoption fairly quickly. He’s a sweetheart. He was leaning on me, smooching on me. A lot of these rescue dogs are incredibly grateful. People think, ‘Oh my God, they’re gonna be wild.’ But it’s not the case at all.”
The Big Marshmallow
It didn't take long for Wiley to get back up to speed. After living in the wild for so long, it was as a bit of a shock. It turns out the former coyote runner was one of the nicest dogs to come around.
Volunteer Frannie Laurita gave him the nickname "big marshmallow." She said he would play with his toys all day long. He loved his toys only second to getting rubbed and pet!
He's A Natural
For a dog that blended in with a pack of coyotes, do you think it would be hard for Wiley to get along with a new human family? Our answer is no, and that's what everyone at the shelter believed as well.
For such a young dog, Wiley has gone through a lot, but he still has so much life left to live. Perhaps the coyotes helped him in a way, but what happened to them?
The Coyotes Are Still Free in the Forest
If you're wondering where the coyotes are, they're still on the loose in Kingston. Meanwhile, Wiley is preparing to become someone's best friend while the coyotes are continuing to increase their population.
As surprising as it was to see Wiley become a member of the wild pack, it was better seeing him recover so well. If licks are a form of thanks, he's giving many thanks to all those who saved him.
The Coyotes Keep Coming
As years go by, the coyote population continues to grow and spread. While this is a good thing for coyotes, it remains to be seen how it will affect animals that aren't wild, as well as the families living near them.
And by the naked eye, coyotes often look identical to some dogs. Imagine one getting mixed up with your dog. You may think it's another harmless domestic dog, but it's a sharp-toothed dangerous animal. Man's best friend may now be in trouble.
Owners, Be Cautious
The bigger the population, the more coyotes are leaking into neighborhoods in search of food. It's not the coyote's fault; they are merely searching for survival. At the same time, others are aware of the threat this can cause.
Pet owners should be on the short list of those concerned. No one would want anything happening to their dog. Cats are also at risk for being subjected to coyotes.
