A white dog in Nevada that was likely dumped in the desert as a pup and left for dead was rescued after living among a pack of coyotes, and may even have been leading the pack.
“It looks like it may have been there for seven to eight months and one way or another, the coyotes just accepted it,” Susan McMullen of the southern Nevada capture team told Fox 5.
The dog, named Ghost, was first reported on social media in July, when a resident of Inspirada spotted it. In the months that followed, whenever residents approached Ghost, he would disappear, according to Fox 5.
Some community members said Ghost may have even been the coyote pack leader, but he was seen limping in recent days, leading McMullen and his team to capture him, the outlet reported.
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A dog named Ghost was seen living with a pack of wild coyotes outside of Las Vegas. (Fox 5/Terry Cartwright)
“He was really just running with them and eating with them, but then he started limping and we were afraid the coyotes might turn on him,” McMullen said.
The capture team received information about its whereabouts from neighbors in the Henderson area, which is about 15 miles southeast of Las Vegas, and spent days trying to rescue the white pup.
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Las Vegas Skyline (iStock)
Last Saturday, rescuers finally managed to lure Ghost into a box of food.
“When he got into that box … he just sat down. I think he was relieved as well,” McMullen’s partner Timi Zondiros told Fox 5.
Since then, Ghost has taken on human affections despite his previous life living in the wild.
“He’s the sweetest, most loving dog…he comes up to you and he wants you to pet him, he wants you to cuddle him,” Zondiros said.
His rescuers hope to find him a loving home, and Zondiros argues that Ghost “will be the best dog because they’re the most grateful, the ones that get rescued.”
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Members of a coyote pack sighted during the summer. (iStock)
He needs medical attention after living with coyotes and has cuts on his face and body from fighting. He also has an ear infection, a broken toe that needs to be amputated, an eye infection, and a procedure to remove his scrotum.
“He has some stones in his stomach because he was probably hungry and ate some stones, so we’re going to watch them and hopefully they pass so we don’t have to have another surgery,” McMullen said.
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Meanwhile, the rescue team is preparing Ghost for eventual adoption, working to crate and leash train him and noted he has trouble sleeping at night and walking.
