A white dog abandoned in the Nevada desert has been rescued after living among a pack of wild coyotes for close to a year.
It all started when Nevada residents spotted a pack of coyotes on the outskirts of the neighboring deserts. The majority of the canines were unmistakably coyotes. Among their ranks, however, was a large white dog, the cheerful-looking pup apparently leading the pack.
Experts believe the dog was dumped in the desert as a puppy and rather than killing him, the coyotes took him in as one of their own. The dog was clearly malnourished and injured, though, sparking plans to rescue him from his barren, unloving home.
Every now and then, the dog and its unlikely companions would venture into the nearest residential area but largely remained elusive. Then, after months of watching the wandering pup, officials finally rescued him and are now hard at work nursing him back to health.
Affectionately named Ghost, the dog has found a temporary home with the caring owners of At Your Service Pet Supply. When he’s healthy enough to make the transition, he will be transferred to a forever home. Getting to this point, however, was no easy task.
Rescuers Trap Dog, Remove Him From Dangerous Coyote Pack
Ghost is thought to have lived in the desert for at least seven months, if not more. But when concerned residents attempted to approach him, he would disappear into the wilderness. After months of attempts from good samaritans, Susan McMullen and Timi Zondiros of the Southern Nevada Trapping Team took the case.
“He was actually just running with them and eating with them,” McMullen explained to Fox 5. “But then he started to limp, and we were afraid limping that the coyotes could turn on him.”
Hour after hour, day after day, the pair scoured the desert for Ghost, using maps of the dog’s typical paths. And on Saturday night, their tireless efforts paid off when Ghost wandered into a crate baited with food. “When he got into that crate… He just sat down. I think he was also relieved,” Zondiros recalled.
Despite his time with a vicious pack of coyotes, Ghost is the friendliest dog you could ever ask for. Rather than shying away from his captors, he begs for pets, hugs, and praise and now follows Zondiros through the store like any other loving dog.
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Ghost Will Soon Find His Forever Family
Living with the coyotes, however, didn’t come without its difficulties. Ghost’s face and body are heavily scarred from fights. He also has ear, eye, and skin infections, and one of his toes is broken and needs to be amputated. While he’s under anesthesia, veterinarians might have to remove a few rocks from his belly as well. They believe he ate them after becoming over-hungry in the wild.
But when he’s finally healed, the once wild dog will be ready to find his forever family. He has severe anxiety at nighttime, his temporary owners say, but other than that, Ghost couldn’t be any sweeter.
“We would like for him to be adopted in a loving home where he is going to have a bed, a couch, people to hold him… I believe he is going to be the best dog because they are the most grateful, the ones that are rescued… They feel it,” Zondiros said.
