Twitter post about coyote being mistaken for a lost dog is not real

A prank joke has gone viral on Twitter that claimed someone had mistakenly taken in and bathed a wild coyote believing it to be a stray dog.

It began when someone (jokingly) posted on a Facebook group that they had found a lost dog that seemed a “bit aggressive” and who “didn’t like baths”. The post came attached to someone petting what is quite clearly – to anyone familiar with them – a coyote.

That post was soon picked up by Allison Pohle, who according to her Twitter profile is a radio producer with around 2.5 thousand followers. Apparently Allison’s mother was a member of the Facebook group in which the joke was posted. It appears neither Allison nor her mother realised it was a prank.

Someone in the neighborhood Facebook group my mom belongs to washed a coyote because they thought it was a dog
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Lost dog found on Chamberlin rd, no collar, and seems to be a bit aggressive. Also doesn’t like baths but she was pretty dirty. Took most of the night, but she’s resting comfy now on the bed.

Allison’s post soon went viral on Twitter, and was even re-tweeted by actor and comedian Seth Rogen to his 7 million plus followers.

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But did someone really wash a coyote believing it to be a lost dog?

It doesn’t look that way, since the photo of the coyote (who doesn’t really appear to know how to feel about his current situation) was actually taken from a 2014 Daily Mail article about a coyote named Wiley who had been domesticated by a family in Wisconsin.

Allison Pohle soon realised her mistake and posted that the story wasn’t real, but at the time of writing her original post still remains.