Driving through a rainy stretch of rural road, Tory Chang noticed a tiny figure struggling in the mud. The little animal was soaked, shivering and all alone. Without hesitation, Chang scooped her up and brought her into the car, thinking she had just rescued a baby fox.
Chang reached out to For Fox Sake Wildlife Rescue for help.
“We asked the finder for a photo and were instantly puzzled,” the rescue team wrote on Facebook. “The ‘fox’ looked more like a coyote pup in the face, paws and tail — but with markings similar to a red fox. We figured once she arrived, we’d get a clearer idea.”
The pup, soon named Yoti, traveled several hours to the rescue. But when she arrived, the mystery only deepened. Her markings looked wild, yet her demeanor leaned more toward puppy than fox.
Since the rescue isn’t set up for domestic dogs, Yoti went to a foster home while everyone awaited DNA test results.
As weeks passed, her personality only added to the confusion.
“Her temperament, paw pad shape and vocalizations are all exactly like a cross between a coyote and a domestic dog,” the rescue explained.
“But brindle markings don’t occur in pure coyotes — so we knew there had to be dog somewhere in her ancestry.”
When the DNA results finally came in, they confirmed what rescuers suspected: Yoti was a coyote-dog hybrid.
“Yoti has genetic markers unique to domestic dogs that were introduced within the last four generations,” the rescue shared. “Coyote-dog hybrids rarely survive in the wild … but life finds a way.”
Because she’s mostly coyote, Yoti is now being cared for at Walden’s Puddle, a wildlife rehabilitation facility. There, she’ll grow alongside another young hybrid until she’s old enough to return to the wild.
It took time — and a lot of head-scratching — but Yoti’s future is finally clear: she’ll get the chance to live as she was meant to, free.
You can help other animals in need by donating to For Fox Sake Wildlife Rescue.
