Stepping outside and discovering an unfamiliar animal collapsed in your yard is the kind of thing no one expects.
It becomes even more unsettling when the creature looks so frail and still that you can barely tell what you are looking at.
That was the reality Sharon Betrozzi faced in Folsom, California, when she noticed what appeared to be an elderly, weakened dog curled beneath her porch.
The morning was bitterly cold. The animal was pressed against the concrete, barely moving, with shallow, strained breathing that made the situation feel even more urgent.
Sharon did not know exactly what to do, but she knew she could not ignore it. She called City of Folsom Animal Services and stayed nearby waiting for help, all while the sight of the matted fur and faint rise and fall of the animal’s chest kept making her worry worse.
A Startling Truth Under The Floorboards
When animal services arrived, nearly four hours after the animal had first been seen lying still, it quickly became clear this was no ordinary stray.
Carefully coaxing the animal into the open, the officers realized they were not looking at a dog at all. The creature beneath the porch was a young coyote, and she was gravely ill.
Up close, the reality was unmistakable. Her fur was matted with mud, her body painfully thin, and her condition critical. Understanding the urgency, the officers moved quickly to stabilize her for transport.
City of Folsom Animal Services later shared in a Facebook post that the coyote was suffering from severe sarcoptic mange. The disease had ravaged her skin and left her dangerously dehydrated.
The team gently placed her inside a ventilated carrier and transported her to Gold Country Wildlife Rescue in Loomis, California.
Before closing the door, they gave her a name, Princess, and quietly offered words of encouragement for the difficult journey ahead.
The Fight To Keep Her Alive
Upon Princess’s arrival at GCWR, staff immediately grasped how much she had endured. Her eyes lacked brightness, large patches of fur had fallen away, and her exposed skin was inflamed and painful.
Treatment began without delay. Fluids were administered beneath her skin, and medications were started to combat the mange and relieve her discomfort.
“She was bathed to help remove some of the dead skin and to make her feel more comfortable. The next morning we were pleased to see that she drank all of the water and special diet food we had left with her overnight. She started scratching less and eating more.” said Sallysue Stein, president of GCWR’s board of directors, in an interview with The Dodo.
Over the days that followed, slow but steady progress became visible. During medicated baths, caregivers gently removed scabs and carefully cleaned each sore.
Princess was watched closely, given soft bedding, and supported as her strength gradually returned.
Before long, she was strong enough to move forward into the next phase of her recovery.
Learning To Be Wild Once More
Although GCWR determined Princess was healthy enough to survive, they knew releasing her immediately would not give her the best chance.
Instead, she was transferred to Sierra Wildlife Rescue, where she could rebuild her instincts alongside other coyotes.
There, under the guidance of wildlife specialists, she practiced stalking through brush, interacting naturally with her peers, and reclaiming the behaviors she was born to know.
Within a few short months, the transformation was remarkable. The fragile animal once found barely breathing beneath a porch had become a strong, alert young coyote, ready to return where she belonged.
Her release marked a powerful moment, a testament to resilience after everything she had survived.
And while she now runs free, the second chance she was given will always be part of her sto