“[W]e love knowing she’s up there, feeling safe enough to rest” ❤️
The forest animals in one Southern California neighborhood know exactly who to go to when they need restorative sleep. LouAnne Brickhouse, a resident animal enthusiast, has spent more than ten years tending to and recording the animals on her land. She has also developed a special technique for making one particular four-legged creature feel as comfortable as possible.
A lone female coyote was photographed by a trail camera dozing on Brickhouse’s back deck a few years ago. Although she felt the coyote may enjoy some companionship, she left a couple of dog toys out for her even though she instinctively knew to give the wild girl some space.
She gave the coyote the name Stevie, and he immediately fell in love with her toys. And she came back each day to give them hugs.
Brickhouse was thrilled to see that Stevie was as happy with the stuffies as she had anticipated. She installed cameras all over her yard, some pointed straight at Stevie’s preferred resting places. Soon, almost every video of Stevie on the deck had her cuddled up with many toys at once.
Brickhouse was shocked to find that the wild animal handled the plushes more affectionately than her canines did.
“Unlike our dogs, she has never ripped the [stuffie], and she never takes it with her,” Brickhouse wrote on her wildlife Instagram account, The Daily James. “It’s always somewhere to be found on the balcony.”
Brickhouse had seen hundreds of creatures in her yard, but none made her happier than Stevie and her stuffies. Brickhouse enjoyed witnessing Stevie cuddle up with her favorite toys while keeping a safe distance away. And it was always fun to have new ones to surprise Stevie with.
Here’s where you can see Stevie play with her Christmas stuffies:
Over time, Brickhouse dubbed Jack the male coyote that Stevie began bringing out on the balcony. The coyotes, who have a lifelong monogamous relationship, grew close. And without any delay, Stevie revealed to him her hidden stash of plush toys.
Even though Stevie no longer naps with her toys in the afternoons, she still keeps her stuffed animals near at hand.
Even now, Stevie and Jack still take naps on Brickhouse’s land with their plush toys. Even though their daily existence as wild coyotes is exhausting, they find solace in the knowledge that they have a kind neighbor who knows how to both assist and spoil them.
“While we don’t talk to her, as we don’t want her to acclimate or become trusting of humans, we love knowing she’s up there, feeling safe enough to rest,” The Daily James wrote on Instagram.
