By J. H. Irwin
Author | Storyteller | Capturing Life, Memory, and Meaning
She Deserved Better
Her name was Wendy. She was a beautiful young coyote who lived among the hills, yards, and streets of Studio City, California. She was wild and belonged to no one, yet she became beloved by an entire community.
Even through the terrible swelling on her face, Wendy’s natural beauty remained visible. It was there in her soft amber eyes, her alert ears, and the gray and golden shades of her coat. Residents recognized her, watched for her, and worried about her as the swelling grew worse.
For more than a year, Wendy lived with an injury no animal should ever have endured. When Wildlife Care of Southern California finally captured her, rescuers hoped the growth on her face could be treated and that she might one day return to the wild. Instead, imaging revealed the horrifying truth.
Two pellets were lodged in Wendy’s head.
Someone had pointed a pellet gun at this defenseless animal and fired. The wound became infected, and over time, the infection completely destroyed the upper jawbone on the left side of her face. Wendy had spent more than a year searching for food, finding shelter, and trying to survive while the bone beneath her face was slowly being eaten away.
Think about the pain she must have endured. Think about how frightened and confused she must have been, unable to understand why she was hurting or why a human being had done this to her. She could not ask for help, explain what had happened, or tell anyone where it hurt.
Still, she fought to live.
During her final week, Wendy received antibiotics, anti-inflammatory medication, soft food, and the gentle care she had deserved all along. For the first time in more than a year, she was safe. She was surrounded by people who saw her suffering and responded with compassion rather than cruelty.
But compassion could not repair what one person had destroyed.
The damage was too severe for surgery or treatment to restore normal function. Wendy would have required a soft-food diet for the rest of her life and could never have returned to the freedom of the wild. Those who had worked so hard to save her were forced to make the heartbreaking decision to end her suffering.
The people who loved Wendy had to carry the burden created by the person who hurt her. The rescuers had to hold her, comfort her, and say goodbye because someone else chose to pull a trigger and leave her to suffer.
As an animal lover, this story shakes me to the core. I can feel the heartbreak physically, as though Wendy’s pain has settled into my chest and refuses to leave. I look at her photographs and see a beautiful, innocent creature who wanted nothing more than to live the life nature had given her.
I also feel anger. I feel the kind of anger that comes when innocence is met with brutality and when a life is treated as though it has no value. Wendy was not a target, an inconvenience, or an object placed on this earth for someone’s amusement.
She was alive. She felt fear, hunger, comfort, and pain. She fought to survive with a strength that many human beings could never summon, and she deserved better from us.
Some humans simply have no humanity
Whoever did this to Wendy is among them. Whatever excuse that person may offer, nothing can erase the suffering Wendy endured because of their actions.
Yet Wendy’s story also reveals the profound difference between cruelty and compassion. One person wounded her, but an entire community cared. Neighbors watched for her and reported sightings. Rescuers spent weeks trying to reach her. Veterinarians eased her pain, and strangers donated money and followed her story with hope.
Their compassion was not enough to save her life, but it meant Wendy did not die alone and afraid somewhere in the brush. She spent her final days safe, warm, fed, and surrounded by people determined to treat her with dignity. They could not undo the cruelty, but they could make certain cruelty did not have the final word.
Southern California Pit Bull Rescue is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whoever shot Wendy. Accountability will not bring her back, but it matters. Cruelty toward animals must never be dismissed, excused, or forgotten.
Wendy deserved to grow old beneath the California sun. She deserved to move freely through the hills and live without fear of the humans whose world had overtaken hers. Most of all, she deserved to be left unharmed.
The cruelty in this world does more than wound its immediate victims; it hardens hearts, exhausts the compassionate, and leaves decent people carrying pain they did not create. Imagine how much better the world would be if what we saw reflected in our media was empathy, kindness, and shared humanity instead of the hatred, bigotry, and terrible indifference that have come to define this period in time.
Her name was Wendy. She was wild, she was beautiful, and she mattered. May we remember her not only for the terrible cruelty that ended her life, but for the courage with which she endured it and the love she awakened in everyone who tried to save her.
Rest peacefully beautiful girl, you deserved so much better
Words can still move the world. Read mine → https://substack.com/@jhirwin