Arizona Woman Finds A ‘Coyote’ On Her Patio, Then Realizes It’s Something Totally Different

When you live close to the wild desert lands of Arizona, you get used to spotting all kinds of unexpected guests wandering nearby.

But nothing quite prepares you for the moment a wild-looking animal shows up in your backyard out of nowhere…

That’s exactly what happened to Meredith Warfel and her family one day when a shaggy, scruffy creature wandered into their yard with cacti stuck all over her fur.

At first glance, she looked like a coyote. The family wasn’t quite sure what to think. Was she wild? Was she dangerous? Or… was she just tired?

Over the next few nights, the mysterious creature kept returning. But not in a threatening way. She curled up on the patio furniture, looking a little nervous but oh-so-sweet.

She wasn’t pacing, growling, or howling like a wild coyote might. She was quiet and gentle like she was hoping this was finally a safe place to rest.

Meredith eventually snapped a photo and posted it online, hoping someone might recognize the visitor. But everyone just kept replying the same thing: “Looks like a coyote!”

Yet, something about that didn’t sit right with her. Coyotes don’t usually act so chill. And they definitely don’t fall asleep on patio cushions like little princesses.

Meredith’s gut told her this wasn’t a wild animal. It was a lost soul in need of love.

And she was right. The not-so-coyote turned out to be a dog.

She had no collar, no tags, and no microchip to point her back home. Meredith guessed she had been abandoned somewhere along the nearby hiking trail.

The poor girl had wandered for who knows how long, searching for help, until she found her way right to their doorstep.

The family decided to take her to a local shelter in case her original owners were out there looking. But days passed, and no one came.

Still, Meredith and her family kept visiting the sweet pup, who they had started calling Luna. Each visit felt more like family time than anything else.

Luna clearly felt it, too.

And then came the moment that changed everything: Luna was officially adopted into the Warfel family.

Now, Luna is living the good life and it shows. She’s healthy, well-fed, and full of love. She’s become best friends with the family’s cats and kids, as Meredith shared in a YouTube video:

“She’s healthy she’s well-nourished and she does think that she’s one of the kids which she is…”

Walks still make her a little nervous, so the family finds other ways to help her get that energy out. Playing fetch in the yard has become one of her favorite things.

But lately, she’s totally fallen in love with frisbee. And when it’s time to cool off? Luna’s all about pool days.

Though, to be fair, swimming isn’t really her thing. What she really loves is floating around on her pool float while the kids splash nearby.

It’s like she just wants to be close, to watch everything going on, and soak up every second with her people, as her mom shared:

“I think she just wants to be around the family so she can watch us and be a part of all the fun and we just love our little Luna and having her hang out with us all the time.”

No one knows exactly what breed Luna is, but honestly? Who cares. She’s got just the right amount of fluff, personality, and sweetness to be declared absolutely perfect.