'We all want to keep them, but can't always get what we want': Reactive dog owner rescues and surrenders two abandoned puppies resembling “toy coyotes”

Blake Seidel • Managing Editor & Brand Manager

Jul 13, 2026 8:15 AM EDT

It's not always the right thing to keep the dog. Sometimes, we have to make the hard decision and do the best thing for them.

We've become to desensitized to rescue stories through social media that it seems like every person who finds an abandoned puppy or a stray cat should keep them. And if you don't, you're a bad person. That's because there are hundreds, if not thousands, of professional rescue "influencers" who make recording these rescue missions their job. And from the sponsorships they get from these wildly viral videos, they can afford a giant house with a 10-acre plot to keep their giant pack of rescue dogs and cats. But for the rest of us, that's simply not a reality.

A reactive dog owner's wife from Reddit's r/rarepuppers community found a pair of puppies in the wild (who look like miniature coyotes), and rescued them. She took the puppies home, and she and her husband had the difficult conversation about what to do with them. Their dog does not like other dogs, and even though they're puppies, they decided the best thing for the puppies was to surrender them to the Humane Society so they could find their furrever family. Nobody likes having that conversation, but it is a necessary one for responsible dog owners.

If I found an abandoned dog on the side of the road, I would 100% stop and help them. But I already know that I cannot keep them. I, too, have a reactive dog at home that doesn't like sharing her space with other animals, and I made a commitment to her when I adopted her years ago. It would not only be insensitive to bring this other dog home, but also dangerous. People need to stop judging others for making the best decision they can within their own circumstances. Real life looks different than TikTok.

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Found And Rescued Dumped Puppies

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They were Delivered Safely To The Humane Society

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They did the right thing. Sure, they could have worked to introduce their reactive dog to the two puppies, but that kind of introduction could take weeks, even months, of highly supervised visits. It would be a long process and a huge investment of time. Not everyone has that kind of time, I know that I certainly don't.
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Giving up dogs is hard. But, we, as humans, have to think about what's best for the dogs, even it isn't what makes us happy.
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