Family took home stray dog without realizing it was a coyote

A family mistook a coyote for what they thought to be a puppy wandering on the side of the road.

It wasn't until later that they discovered they brought the wild animal into their home. On May 2, Cape Wildlife Center in Barnstable, Massachusetts shared a photo of the adorable creature on its Facebook page.

In the caption, the organization shared that the animal is an Eastern Coyote pup, and he was separated from his family.

After the animal got lost, it wandered the side of a “busy road” until a family noticed him.

“He was then accidentally taken home by a local family after they mistakenly identified him as a lost puppy,” the post said.

The family then discovered that the animal was not a home-friendly pup as they first believed, and they called Cape Wildlife Center to step in and assist.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health, the hospital and education center ultimately determined that “there was no potential exposure risk to rabies, and were able to clear him for care and granted permission to rehab by Mass Wildlife.”

The coyote was kept in an isolation ward as he waited to meet a “foster sibling” from the Wildlife Clinic of Rhode Island. Both animals will be vaccinated and raised together in the facility’s outdoor caging.

“This case had a happy ending, but it could have easily gone differently,” Cape Wildlife Center wrote. They warned that although this one was clean, coyotes can carry rabies, which is deadly to humans.

The post continued: “If the finders had been bitten, scratched, or had extended contact we would have been mandated to euthanize the pup and test for rabies.”

Cape Wildlife Center advised contacting rescue teams before stepping in to help a wild animal in need.

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