Man says ‘dog in a coyote’s body’ helped his depression and anxiety, but rehab agency says animal should return to the wild

This article is more than 9 months old

This article is more than 9 months old

An Iowa man is trying regain custody of a young coyote that he says has become his emotional support animal.

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“This animal is a dog in a coyote’s body,” said Matthew Stokes about Drifter, who Stokes said was left by a coyote family that had dug a den in his backyard on the outskirts of Waterloo.

Stokes told the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier that he was suffering at the time from a bone infection in a foot and was in danger of losing it. He said Drifter kept him going.

But the pup was corralled by a neighbor while roaming the area in October and placed with a wildlife rehab agency.

“This is not an emotional support animal. This is a wild coyote that he took out of the wild and decided to make a pet,” said Tracy Belle, director of WildThunder Wildlife and Animal Rehabilitation and Sanctuary. The agency’s goal is to return Drifter to the wild.

Stokes said he’s obtained a letter from his physician that says Drifter is an emotional support animal because he helps Stokes with depression and anxiety.

Stokes also is in the process of applying for a US Department of Agriculture license to keep a dangerous animal, he said.

