In her long line of duty of rescuing animals in need, Jessie Tussing, coordinator of Heartland Humane Society, came across many unusual rescue missions. However, this one sure did take the cake.
One Friday evening, Jessie got a call, saying that there is a group of puppies abandoned under a barn. Without hesitation, she jumped in her car and made her way to save the puppies.
Arriving at the location, Jessie and her two teenage daughters didn’t waste any time and immediately took to finding the pups.
Using a flashlight as a guide, they entered the old barn and started looking in every crack and crevice. Having the homeowner’s permission, they removed one of the floorboards, and lo and behold, they found the puppies.
Some Very Strange pups
Source: Jessie Tussing via The Dodo
When Jessie took the puppies somewhere safe and into the daylight, she noticed that there was something strange about these pups.
“I was running through my brain trying to remember what breed of puppy had that coloring. It took me a minute to really realize what I was looking at”, said Jessie.
One of Jessie’s daughters decided to Google this unusual dog breed, and when she realized, she was shocked.
She just started running down the list of species that she knew lived in the area, and after foxes and raccoons were ruled out, she looked up coyote pups and went, ‘Oh my God, Mom!’
This wasn’t an unusual breed of dogs; this was a pack of baby coyotes!
After talking with some experts and catching up on the local wildlife center’s policy on coyotes, Jessie decided that the best plan of action would be to put the babies back where they found them.
She also noticed that their bellies were full, which meant that the mother had just recently fed them and must be nearby.
They carefully put them back and informed the homeowner of his new residents.
The homeowner was very understanding and decided to leave the little family be until they find them a new home… somewhere in the wild where they belong.
Know What To Do
Let this story serve as a reminder that we shouldn’t pet every adorable little creature we see.
If you do come across baby coyotes, please observe from afar. Their mother is most likely somewhere close and will soon return.
However, if you do believe that they have been orphaned, contact your local animal control or wildlife rehabilitation center. They are trained professionals and will know exactly what to do.