Well now, good gracious, what a fine day to share a tale with y’all! Sometimes, the biggest surprises come from the simplest acts of kindness, and this story out of Massachusetts is a prime example of that very thing.
There’s a kindness in folks’ hearts that makes ’em want to help a creature in need. Our story starts with a woman who, with the best of intentions, saw what she thought was a stray dog looking mighty poorly on the side of the road. It was lethargic, you see, and just appeared unwell. Any good soul would want to lend a hand, and that’s exactly what she set out to do.
So, she gently gathered up this poor, ailing animal and brought it right on home. I reckon she had notions of giving it a warm meal and a cozy spot to rest, maybe even picking up some nice dog treats (paid link) later on, just like you would for any rescued pup. She was so determined to get it proper care, she even loaded it into her vehicle, aiming to get it to a vet. I imagine she might have even hummed a tune from an old portable radio, perhaps one she’d picked up back when RADIO SHACK (paid link) stores were on every corner, to keep her spirits up on the way.
But here’s where the story takes a turn that might make you chuckle a bit, though I’m sure it wasn’t humorous to her at the time. When she arrived at the vet’s office, the staff, with their trained eyes, took one look at her ‘stray dog’ and quickly realized something important: this wasn’t Fido she’d brought in. No sir, what she had there was a wild coyote!
Can you imagine the surprise? The Massachusetts Environmental Police (MEP) got the call and responded to the scene. After a careful assessment, they confirmed that the coyote was indeed sick and orphaned, which explained its poor condition. Thankfully, it wasn’t long before the animal was on its way to a wildlife rehabilitator, where it could get the specialized care it needed to recover and hopefully return to the wild.
Now, this tale serves as a good-natured reminder from the officials: while our hearts might be in the right place, it’s always best to approach wild animals with caution, or rather, not to approach them at all. There’s a risk of injury, and even the potential for rabies, with any wild critter. If you happen upon an injured or abandoned wild animal, the best thing to do is call your local animal control or wildlife authorities. They’ve got the expertise and the right equipment to help without putting anyone, or anything, in unnecessary danger.
It just goes to show you, sometimes it’s worth having a good wildlife identification guide (paid link) handy, or at least a trusty pair of binoculars (paid link) to observe from a respectful distance. You never know what wild thing might be masquerading as a domestic darling!
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Original story from Massachusetts Environmental Police.