Flint’s day started like any other. At 6 a.m., he went outside to tend to his chickens in the high desert area between Los Angeles and Las Vegas.
But something unusual caught his attention as he wrapped up his morning routine. On the garden wall, a large animal was staring at him.
At first, Flint thought it was a wild wolf, and his experience with wildlife made him instinctively act. He quickly grabbed his dog, Stella, and brought her back indoors.
Once safe inside, he took a closer look through the window, and that’s when he realized his initial guess was wrong.
Is It A Wolf, Or Something Else?
Flint got a clearer view from inside his home. What he had mistaken for a wolf was actually a dog.
While the realization eased some of his fear, he was still unsure of the situation. The dog could be lost or abandoned, and Flint was concerned.
“We live half an hour from the freeway, and people come all the way out here and dump dogs,” Flint shared with People.
As he and his partner continued watching, they noticed the dog didn’t seem threatening. Instead, it appeared curious, almost as though it was waiting for a kind person to take notice.
Wanting to assist, Flint and his partner brought out food and water, hoping to gain the dog’s trust.
“We’re like, ‘Okay, well, he is probably hungry at least.’ And so we got a little bowl of dog food and some water, and he very slowly came over and just obliterated that dog food and emptied the water,” Flint said.
The dog eagerly devoured the food and drink, wagging his tail and seeking affection. It became clear that he was not only hungry but also in need of love.
The couple was instantly smitten with the dog, and soon after, they decided to name him Balto.
Once Balto had relaxed, Flint took him to the vet for a checkup and a microchip scan.
The vet estimated Balto was between one and two years old and found a minor paw injury along with a small infection on his belly.
“He had an injury on his paw. He’d gotten bruised or nicked. He might’ve gotten hit by a car or swiped or something. And he had a small infection on his belly. So it didn’t look like he had been out on his own for months. But he’d definitely been having a rough time for at least a week or so,” Flint explained.
Since Balto didn’t have a microchip and no one came forward to claim him, Flint and his partner decided to welcome him into their family.
A New Life For Balto
Balto quickly adjusted to life in his new home with his new siblings: two cats named Tugboat and Submarine, along with nine chickens, two roosters, and his dog sister Stella.
While the couple continued to check for missing dog reports, they were more than happy to make Balto a permanent member of their family.
Even though Balto might have been abandoned, Flint doesn’t hold any ill will.
“You just don’t know what circumstances someone came from or why something happened. And so if he ran away, or if he was dumped, or if a family just didn’t know how to take care of him, those people still deserve compassion the same way that he does,” he said.
A Deep Bond Forms
Now thriving, Balto enjoys camping trips with his new family. He runs freely outdoors during the day and relaxes by the campfire at night.
“My partner and I both understand what it feels like to be too much to love, too much work, too much energy, too much hassle for other people. And so that’s one of the reasons why it was so easy for us to take in Balto. And what I hope people get from Balto’s story is that no animal, no person is too much to love or is too much work to be worthwhile,” Flint concluded.
Balto may have been mistaken for a wolf at first, but he turned out to be exactly what Flint and his partner needed: a loyal companion with a heart full of love.