Ryan Van Velzer

The Republic | azcentral.com

Harvey the "adventure dog" is just under a year old, but he has already accomplished more than pups twice his age (in dog years). He has hiked the Mogollan Rim, traversed the Superstition Mountains and now, he's dancing with wolves coyotes.

Marcus Root, owner, and Harvey first encountered the coyote while hiking at the Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch near his home in Gilbert.

"The first time I saw the coyote, I was apprehensive," Root said.

The coyote had cornered the duo near the end of a dirt trail. Too afraid to approach, the coyote stared at the pair from about 20 feet away before disappearing into the brush.

After their first encounter, the coyote, who also appears to be a pup, started following Harvey and Root every time they hiked the preserve.

"Seeing him (the coyote) more often, I realized he's not part of a larger pack and he is more curious than anything," Root said.

So, Root let Harvey off his leash — the aftermath of which is seen in the video: sniffing, chasing, butt wiggling and lying prone.

"It's totally innocent, and actually, just kind of cool," he said.

Although Harvey and the coyote's unlikely friendship is adorable now, it has a lot of potential for it to go wrong in the future, said Lynda Lambert, public information officer for the Arizona Game and Fish Department.

"Right now, those two are playing together, obviously, but I don't think that is going to last a long time," Lambert said. "There will be a day when that coyote realizes that dog could be a food source."

Arizona Game and Fish frequently receives reports of coyotes leaping 6- to 7-foot walls to take and kill small dogs and cats, Lambert said. No accurate numbers were available at the time of inquiry.

Both Harvey and the coyote should learn to fear each other, she said. And the coyote should learn to fear people.

"You don't want that coyote to associate people with being OK. People should just be scary," Lambert said.