New England Family Brings Home Coyote Pup After Mistaking the Wild Animal for Lost Puppy

The family picked up the eastern coyote pup last week after finding the animal "wandering and distressed by the side of a busy road," said the Cape Wildlife Center in Barnstable, Mass.

Photo: Cape Wildlife Center

A New England family didn't get what they bargained for when they tried to help what they believed to be a lost puppy at the end of April.

The unnamed family "accidentally" brought home an eastern coyote pup last week after finding the animal "wandering and distressed by the side of a busy road," said the Cape Wildlife Center in Barnstable, Mass.

Upon realizing their mistake, the family reached out to the Cape Wildlife Center for assistance, according to a post shared Monday on the organization's Facebook page.

Now, the pup is "recovering comfortably" in one of the wildlife center's isolation wards.

According to a joint determination from the Cape Wildlife Center and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, the baby coyote has not been exposed to rabies.

"This case had a happy ending, but it could have easily gone differently,' the Cape Wildlife Center said on Facebook, noting that coyotes "are considered a Rabies vector species" in the Bay State.

"If the finders had been bitten, scratched, or had extended contact we would have been mandated to euthanize the pup and test for rabies," the wildlife center added.

"We are grateful to every single person who takes time out of their day to help wildlife when they are needed, but we always encourage people to call the appropriate resources prior to intervening, it can help keep all involved safe!"

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The coyote pup will soon have a companion. According to Monday's Facebook post from the Cape Wildlife Center, "a foster sibling has just arrived" from the Wildlife Clinic of Rhode Island and "will soon be introduced" to the tiny Massachusetts coyote.

"Once both pups receive their vaccinations they will be raised together and will be given a chance to grow and learn natural behaviors in our large outdoor caging," the wildlife center said.

"We work hard to give them as much of a natural upbringing as possible," they added, "and will work to replicate the essential behaviors and skills they learn from mom and dad."