It was a cold day in Pennsylvania when Christina Eyth stepped outside her home and saw something strange in the snow. Paw prints. Lots of them.
At first glance, they appeared to be from a dog, and they led right up to her door.
The pattern made her both curious and concerned, and she had to find out where they went, sharing in an interview:
“I saw that there were dog prints that went up to my door like he was looking in for help.”
Soon enough, Christina was standing by her basement door. That’s when her heart truly broke.
Lying outside the door door was an animal in desperate need of warmth and care. Its condition was heartbreaking, as she shared:
“He looked so cold and was shivering.”
Yet, something about it was puzzling. Its fur was patchy and thin, making it impossible to tell what species it was.
But to Christina, that didn’t matter. All she saw was an animal in need, and there was no way she was leaving it out there alone, as she shared:
“I wasn’t completely sure, but he never showed signs of aggression. I just saw an animal in need of help and wanted to help him.”
So, Christina gently ushered the creature into her basement, offering it food, water, and a safe place to rest. Then, she posted about it on her local message board, hoping someone could help identify it.
Soon, a volunteer from Tails of the Rescued messaged her and almost immediately, help arrived. While even the rescue team was unsure about the animal’s species, they were certain it needed help.
They carefully caught it without causing it any harm and took it to Wildlife Works-Mount Pleasant for treatment and testing, knowing it would take weeks for the results to come.
The animal was in rough shape – malnourished, weak, and suffering from a severe case of mange. Frightened and unsure of its surroundings, it remained wary of the shelter staff.
But the team was patient. They worked gently, giving it space and earning its trust little by little.
Then, something completely unexpected happened. After just a few days at the facility, the animal managed to escape. It slipped away, vanishing into the wild, as if it had never been there at all.
Still, the mystery wasn’t over. When the test results finally came in, they revealed the truth.
This wasn’t a lost dog in need of a home – it was a coyote, a wild creature that had found its way back to where it truly belonged.
And just like that, the mystery was solved, and the coyote was gone.
Christina smiled when she heard the news. The results didn’t change a thing. That scared, shivering animal had needed help, and she had been there to give it, sharing:
“No matter the results to the test, I wouldn’t have changed anything I did to help him.”
She never once doubted her decision, because, in her heart, she knew that she had made a difference.
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