While it’s often very easy to have a dim view of humanity, there are so many of us out there who can show a life-affirming level of care for the world around us day in and day out.
And it’s true that we can see that in many ways, but one of the most common reminders comes in the form of seeing how far some people are willing to go for animals in need.
We can also see that when that animal is in a bad enough way, the selfless individuals among us won’t care what species it is.
And that’s how one shelter came to look after a creature that they’re still having trouble identifying.
On January 17, Christina Eyth of Fairfield, Pennsylvania felt compelled to follow some paw prints that appeared outside her home.
And as People reported , it’s unlikely that the shivering, malnourished animal she discovered would have survived much longer if she hadn’t become curious.
In her words, “I peeked outside the door, and that’s whenever I noticed the animal on my left-hand side, and it was so scared and so cold and shivering. All I could think about is ‘This animal needs help.'”
So she kept it in her basement until it could be transported to the Wildlife Works in Mount Pleasant sanctuary.
However, due to its suspected mange affliction and its overall poor physical condition, they weren’t any more sure than Eyth as to whether they were dealing with a dog or a coyote.
And while Morgan Barron from Wildlife Works suspects the animal could be a dog due to its timid and non-aggressive temperament, she’s not taking any chances.
As she put it, “I honestly can’t definitively say what it is, but to err on the side of caution, since they can carry rabies and since it might be a coyote … [we will] get genetic testing done and go from there.”
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And while that testing is already underway, it will take some time before the samples the sanctuary sent in can be analyzed.
And since that could take between two and four weeks, all the sanctuary can do in the meantime is continue to care for the animal and update their followers on its progress.
And from the sounds of it, the unfortunate creature’s situation has inspired some real generosity from those followers as well-wishes and donations have started pouring in.
And while the unidentified animal is obviously going through a lot, staff at Wildlife Works say he is already starting to get better after a week in their care.
As a representative from the sanctuary wrote, “He is doing much better now and is much more alert than when he came to us last week. He is still not showing extreme signs of aggression but is more on the defensive side.”
h/t: People
