Stray Dog Joined a Wild Coyote Pack — What Happened Next Shocked Everyone!

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 close examination, the truth revealed itself. Dive in and discover the shocking events that happened with this dog dealing with the pack of coyotes. 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 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'd be safe. Nace simply wanted the dog to have a friendly family to look after him in a safe home. Then she noticed that the 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. 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. 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 out with coyotes. 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're 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. The stray dog might 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. 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. 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. 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 out with the coyotes for so long, he needed a lot of help. The road to recovery then began. As it turns out, Wiley was a mess. The crew had to take all the ticks off him and then give him a well-deserved bath. Once they finished the cleaning job, it was time for 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. 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 were a few symptoms that Lyme disease cause. The coyotes may have accepted him, but they couldn't have helped Wiley the way the rescuers could. 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. 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 have been no reports of lost dogs fitting his description. We think he was either a stray or dumped. After all of 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 a 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? Luckily for Wiley, he turned out to be a warrior of a dog. With the odds stacked against him, 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 going to be wild. But it's not that case at all. It didn't take long for Wiley to get back up to speed. After living in the wild for so long, it was a bit of a shock. It turns out the former coyote runner was one of the nicest dogs to come around. Volunteer Frannie Larita 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 petted. 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's 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? 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. 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. The bigger the population, the more the coyotes are leaking into neighborhoods in search of food. It's not the coyotes' fault. They're 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 dogs. Cats are also at risk for being subjected to coyotes.