An all-white dog, named Ghost, was spotted living among coyotes in the Nevada desert for months and has since been rescued.
Ghost appeared to be accepted by a pack of coyotes and, according to authorities, was even said to have led them. It is believed that Ghost was dumped in the desert as a 7-month-old puppy and was taken in by the coyotes.
“It seems like he may have been put out there between seven and eight months and somehow or another, the coyotes just accepted him,” Susan McMullen with the the Southern Nevada Trapping Team said, according to CBS.
However, recent reports said that locals spotted that Ghost was limping on one leg, which led Susan and Timi Zondiros of the Southern Nevada Trapping Team to track and rescue him.
“He was actually just running with them and eating with them, but then he started to limp, and we were afraid that the coyotes could turn on him,” McMullen said.
The two searched for days and finally managed to trap Ghost using a crate baited with food. Despite living in the desert with the coyotes for seven months, they said Ghost is a friendly dog who takes to every human he sees.
“We were very nervous about where he was, how he was,” Zondiros said. “When he got into that crate…. He just sat down. I think he was also relieved,” Zondiros said.
He has scars from fights with the coyotes and various medical issues such as an ear infection, skin problems, and a broken toe that needed to be amputated, and they said he needed to be neutered.
“He’s got some rocks in his belly because he was probably hungry and ate some rocks, so we are just going to watch those and hopefully those will pass so we don’t have to have yet another surgery,” McMullen said.
Ghost will require some time to transition from living with coyotes to living with humans, as he is not crate-trained or leash-trained and is said to have trouble sleeping at night.
“He is not crate trained. He is not leash trained… he doesn’t sleep at night. He paces; he pants, nighttime is really hard for him,” McMullen said.
Ghost harbors no resentment towards humans despite being abandoned in the desert, and he is ready to find a forever home with a loving family.
“He is the sweetest, most loving dog… he comes up to you, he wants to be petted, he wants to be held,” Zondiros said. “I believe he is going to be the best dog because they are the most grateful, the ones that are rescued… they feel it.”
A GoFundMe has been set up to help cover the costs of Ghost’s medical bills, which currently exceed $4,000. Ghost is a grateful dog who will make a wonderful pet for a loving family who is willing to give him the affection he deserves.
The efforts of Susan McMullen and Timi Zondiros to rescue Ghost are commendable, and it is hoped that he will find a loving home soon.