Two Puppies, Hungry Coyotes, and a Rescue That Could Go Wrong

The cornfields looked peaceful in daylight. But for three vulnerable dogs living among the stalks, danger was never far away.

Cathy Cornell had been watching a frightened three-legged red dog sheltering beneath a mulberry tree. Nearby, two young pups raced through the corn, unaware of the risks surrounding them.

Coyotes were a serious concern.

Cathy knew she couldn’t leave the puppies exposed indefinitely. But rescuing them created another problem: how would the already terrified red dog react?

She carefully positioned traps along the puppies’ familiar routes, knowing that one wrong move could frighten the animals or disrupt the fragile routine she had spent so long understanding.

When the traps finally caught both pups, Cathy rushed to check them. They were frightened, but unharmed.

The puppies were taken away from the dangers of the fields. Their rescue, however, changed the atmosphere beneath the mulberry tree.

The big red dog remained watchful, uncertain of what would happen next.

This chapter of Clifford Under the Mulberry Tree reveals something animal rescue stories rarely emphasize: even necessary decisions can be emotionally difficult.

For Cathy, saving lives meant making those decisions carefully, accepting the uncertainty, and continuing to care.