All animals are worthy of love and care, whether they’re a common pet like a dog or a wild animal. All creatures deserve a little human help when they’re in trouble.
Like one canine, who was rescued after a woman found him scared and starving — but now even the animal experts are stumped as to exactly what kind of animal he is.
Christina Eyth, from Fairfield Township, Pennsylvania, saw paw prints outside her home and followed them to a cold, scared creature outside her basement door, according to WPXI.
“It was so scared and cold and shivering,” Christina told the outlet.
While she initially assumed it was a neighbor’s dog, she was also uncertain what exactly the animal was — the canine also looked like a coyote.
But the mangey animal was clearly in need of help, and in that moment, Christina didn’t care what species it was.
“I wasn’t quite sure, but … it was scared and it was cold and all I could think about was this animal needed help,” she recalled.
She took the mystery animal into her basement, providing some warmth from the cold. She contacted TJ’s Rescue Hideaway, who helped her transport the animal to Wildlife Works in Mount Pleasant.
The animal is now in good hands, being treated for mange. However, even the professionals are stumped by the dog-vs-coyote question.
According to Wildlife Works, they’ve collected a sample and sent it to a DNA testing site to settle the mystery once and for all. It will take a few weeks to get the results back, however, and in the meantime the canine is undergoing treatment.
Morgan Barron of Wildlife Works said that the animal’s behavior indicates that he’s a dog, although they need to “err on the side of caution” given the possibility that he is a coyote.
“Behavior-wise he’s very timid, very scared and not aggressive at all, which makes me lean toward dog,” she told WPXI.
Wildlife Works shared a photo of the canine on Facebook, posing the question of whether it’s a dog or coyote.
Commenters were fairly split — those who say it’s a coyote point out it’s long snout, while others say the animal’s docile nature indicates a dog — but what people do agree on is that they’re glad the animal was rescued.
“Either way, glad this poor baby is getting help,” one comment reads.
“Whichever he is, thank you to the lady that got him proper help,” another person wrote. “And thank you to the rescuers!”
Christina agrees, saying she would have helped no matter what kind of animal he is.
“There was an animal in need, and I feel like I did the right thing either way,” she told WPXI.
The animal is continuing to receive care, and hopefully we’ll find out what kind of animal he is soon.
“We will continue to update on his progress and let everyone know when the results come back!” Wildlife Works wrote.
All animals are worthy of love, no matter what species they are. Whether he’s a dog or coyote, we’re so glad this scared, emaciated canine is getting the help he needs thanks to the kindness of people.
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