When it comes to getting rejuvenating rest, the woodland creatures in one Southern California neighborhood know just who to turn to. Resident animal lover LouAnne Brickhouse has been caring for and documenting the wildlife on her property for over a decade, and she’s figured out a unique way to make a certain four-legged critter feel as cozy as possible.
A few years ago, a trail camera captured a lone female coyote sleeping on Brickhouse’s back deck. She knew instinctively to give the wild girl some space, but she felt the coyote might like some company, so she decided to leave a couple of dog toys out for her.
The coyote, whom she named Stevie, fell in love with her toys right away. And she returned every day to snuggle them.
Brickhouse was elated to see Stevie enjoy the stuffies as much as she’d hoped. She set up cameras around her yard, aiming a few directly toward Stevie’s favorite sleeping spots. Before long, nearly every clip of Stevie on the deck showed her snuggled up with one or more toys at a time.
And, to Brickhouse’s surprise, the wild animal treated the stuffies better than her dogs 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.”
Out of the hundreds of animals she observed in her yard, no one brought Brickhouse as much joy as Stevie and her beloved stuffies. Watching from a safe distance, Brickhouse loved seeing Stevie curl up with her favorite toys. And she always enjoyed surprising Stevie with new ones.
You can watch Stevie play with her Christmas stuffies here:
Eventually, Stevie started showing up on the balcony with a male coyote, whom Brickhouse named Jack. The pair of coyotes, who mate monogamously for life, became inseparable. And Stevie immediately showed him her secret treasure trove of stuffies.
Stevie’s afternoon naps with her toys have since turned into naps with Jack, but she still keeps her plushies close by.
Stevie and Jack continue to enjoy naps with their stuffies on Brickhouse’s property today. Their day-to-day lives as wild coyotes may be tiresome, but they’re comforted knowing that they have a loving neighbor who knows just how to support and spoil them at the same time.
“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.
