Coyotes would not be most people’s first choice of animal to get close to, but meet Dakota who is helping to improve their image.

Abandoned when young, Dakota never got the chance to interact with other coyotes before being taken into captivity from where he was taken on by Saveafox Rescue in Minnesota.

Experts advised it would be too difficult to integrate Dakota with other coyotes and lead to aggression towards the other animals. Luckily, Dakota now has a human pal to keep him company!

Saveafox founder Mikayla Raines and Dakota are now inseparable and she plays with him as if he were a domestic puppy rather than a close relative of the wolf.

But their bond is quite unique and, as the saying goes, please don’t try this at home!