White dog spotted living with coyote pack gets human help after injury

A mysterious dog discovered roaming with a coyote pack in Nevada is back with his forever family — a family of humans, that is.

Coyotes are a common sight in the desert, but, starting last July, folks in the city of Henderson kept noticing something unusual: an all-white dog that seemed to travel with a local pack, tail wagging like a flag.

The white dog would flee when approached by humans — hence the nickname, Ghost. Neighborhood groups and individuals began sharing sightings and compiling clues about the situation.

Here’s a video local agent Jerwin Laforteza posted to local Inspirada Real Estate’s Facebook group showing the pack roaming a local neighborhood.

The dog was believed to have been dumped as a puppy, and rumors spread that he might even have been the leader of the coyote pack.

Then, one day, an onlooker noticed that Ghost was limping. Professional trappers were brought in to catch the dog.

”He was actually just running with them and eating with them, but then he started limping, and we were afraid limping that the coyotes could turn on him,” Susan McMullen, of the Southern Nevada Trapping Team, told Las Vegas TV station KVVU.

“We were very nervous about where he was, how he was,” said Timi Zondiros, McMullen’s partner.

After two weeks of watching Ghost and monitoring his movements, the trappers finally captured him through the use of a trap baited with food. And not a moment too soon, as his injuries were troubling: they included infected bites all over his body, a broken toe that required amputation, a skin rash and injured genitalia.

Ghost’s stomach contained multiple rocks, leading rescuers to theorize that he’d been so hungry he started eating them.

A GoFundMe account was set up to assist with Ghost’s medical care and to help a potential new owner. It mentions that Ghost was likely with the wild coyotes for at least six months.

His possible beginnings as a domestic dog were quickly apparent after he was trapped, though.

“He is the sweetest, most loving dog,” Zondiros said. “He comes up to you, he wants to be petted, he wants to be held.”

Ghost, whose real name is Hades, received vet care at the Amor Peludo rescue in Las Vegas before being reunited with his actual family.

According to the Animal Foundation, the nonprofit shelter that had been caring for the pup since his rescue, Hades is a 4-year-old bull terrier mix owned by the Cabada family.

Hades was reunited with the Cabadas on Feb. 13 after the long ordeal. In the emotional video, it’s clear the pup is back with his real family.

What a good boy! And what an adventure!