“The Night a ‘Coyote’ Slept on My Couch”
A few years ago, Meredith Warfel from Arizona walked into her backyard one night and froze.
There, curled up on her patio furniture, was what looked like a coyote — small, scruffy, and fast asleep under the stars.
“I thought, Oh my gosh, there’s a coyote on my couch!” Meredith recalled with a laugh.
But when the mysterious visitor kept coming back night after night — and even started sleeping peacefully on the furniture — Meredith began to wonder if she might not be a wild animal at all.
“We realized pretty quickly that a coyote wouldn’t sleep on a couch,” Meredith said.
The animal was gentle, shy, and heartbreakingly thin. Her fur was full of cactus spines, her ribs showed through her skin, and her eyes told a story of exhaustion and fear.
Still, she wagged her tail softly when Meredith spoke to her.
“She was so nervous,” Meredith said. “But we could tell she was the sweetest.”
Meredith posted photos online, hoping to find the dog’s family. But everyone insisted she must be a coyote. No one came forward.
So Meredith took her to the local humane society, where staff confirmed she had no microchip. After three days with no one claiming her, it was clear — this lost soul had no one else.
And Meredith knew she couldn’t say goodbye.
“She chose our yard to rest in,” Meredith said. “It felt meant to be.”
They named her Luna — for the moonlight that guided her to their home that first night.
Once Luna realized she was safe, her transformation was pure joy.
Her playful side blossomed. She chased Frisbees, snuggled with the kids, and lounged on pool floaties like a queen.
“She thinks she’s one of the kids,” Meredith laughed. “And honestly, she is.”
Luna also became best friends with the family’s four cats — and even their bearded dragon.
Now, every evening when Luna curls up peacefully at home, Meredith can’t help but think back to that first night — the “coyote” who appeared out of the desert, looking for a safe place to rest.
“It was meant to be,” she said softly. “She found us — and we found her.”