When Flint stepped outside at 6 a.m. to tend to his chickens in the high desert between Los Angeles and Las Vegas, he expected an ordinary morning.
But as he finished up, something caught his attention. Perched on the garden wall was a large animal staring straight at him.
At first glance, Flint was certain it was a wild wolf. Since it wasn’t his first time crossing paths with wildlife, he knew exactly what to do. He quickly grabbed his dog, Stella, and guided her back indoors.
Only after securing himself inside did he take another look from the window—and that was when he realized his first impression had been completely wrong.
A Wolf Or Something Else?
From the safety of his home, Flint could take a better look. What he thought was a wolf was actually a dog.
The realization eased some of his fear, but he was still cautious. Whether the pup was lost or abandoned, he wasn’t sure.
“We live half an hour from the freeway, and people come all the way out here and dump dogs,” Flint told People.
As he and his partner continued watching, they noticed the dog didn’t look threatening at all. Instead, he seemed curious, almost as if he was hoping someone kind lived there.
Wanting to help, Flint and his partner brought out some food and water to see if they could win the pup’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 his meal, then began wagging his tail, kissing their hands, and asking for affection. Clearly, he wasn’t just hungry; he was craving love, too.
Flint and his partner were instantly taken with him, and before long, they gave him a name: Balto.
From Stranger To Family
Once Balto relaxed, Flint took him to a local vet for a checkup and a microchip scan.
The vet estimated Balto to be between one and two years old and discovered he had a minor paw injury and 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.
With no microchip and no one claiming him, Flint and his partner made the decision to welcome Balto into their family.
Balto quickly settled in with his new siblings: two cats named Tugboat and Submarine, nine chickens, two roosters, and his dog sister Stella.
The couple continues to keep an eye out for missing dog notices, but they are more than happy to make Balto a permanent part of their lives.
And even if Balto had been dumped, Flint holds no bitterness.
“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 Bond That Runs Deep
Now thriving, Balto enjoys camping trips with his new family, running freely outdoors by day and relaxing 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 his rescuers needed: a loyal companion with a heart full of love.