Lost Dachshund Hunted by Pack of Wild Coyotes: 'Didn't Think He'd Make It'

A Dachshund is safe and well after escaping from a pack of coyotes, which were seen terrorizing the dog in a pursuit many feared would end in his death.

Samantha Zimmer, who helps with the recovery of lost pets and fostering animals for the non-profit Lola's Lucky Day in Houston, Texas, said they "didn't think he'd make it through the night" after hearing Carlos the dog had been spotted being chased across a golf course by the wild animals.

Zimmer told Newsweek: "​We were alerted about Carlos because we have been active in this area for months trying to trap a stray Australian Shepherd. So the neighbors knew to contact us for any other stray dogs they needed help catching. "

According to the Humane Society, coyote attacks, while rare, have been known to occur while people were "trying to rescue their free-roaming pet from a coyote attack."

"We knew there were lots of coyotes in the area because they were seen on our game cameras every night," Zimmer said. "We didn't go look for Carlos that night because we didn't think he would have survived that."

Incredibly, three days later, she got a call saying Carlos had been seen roaming around a residential area. Zimmer and her fellow volunteers headed over, where they soon found Carlos, looking tired and understandably shaken, on the front lawn of a property.

They succeeded in bringing him in and, despite his ordeal, Carlos was relatively unscathed. Even so, nagging questions remain over how he ended up out there in the first place.

"We still aren't sure how Carlos ended up as a stray," Zimmer said. "No one has responded to any of his found dog posts to reclaim him."

Zimmer has been rescuing dogs in the Houston area for a decade, with Lola's Lucky Day helping over 1,200 dogs a year to find a new forever home. So Carlos is in good hands.

Viral Video

The adorable Dachshund isn't short of admirers online. Zimmer shared a video of his exploits to TikTok under the handle streetlifetothesweetlife, where it's already attracted over 500,000 views and a glut of comments from adoring viewers.

"What a cutie! He's a fighter to survive coyotes," steppielou wrote, with adelemaree adding: "Thank you for saving him."

"Poor guy has seen so much," kyzmise00 said. "I pray all he knows now is good." Tonya7020, meanwhile, commented: "What a beautiful dog! So glad he can rest easy now."

While there are no doubt any number of dog lovers who would be happy to give the Dachshund a home, Zimmer said plans are already in place to help Carlos.

"He is safe with our rescue until we are able to locate his owners," she told Newsweek. "In the event we cannot find his owners we do have an adopter who is interested in Carlos."