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Wildlife rescuers try to identify mystery animal that might be dog or coyote

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Jan. 21 (UPI) -- Wildlife experts in Pennsylvania said they are having genetic testing done to identify a mystery animal that might be a dog or a coyote.

Christina Eyth, of Fairfield Township, said she noticed paw prints in front of her door earlier this week and followed them around her house to their source -- a small, dog-like animal curled up outside her basement door.

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"I peeked outside the door, and that's whenever I noticed the animal on the left hand side. And it was so scared and cold and shivering," Eyth told WPXI-TV.

Eyth said she wasn't sure if the animal was a dog or a coyote, but she wanted to help the creature, so she coaxed it into her basement and contacted TJ's Rescue Hideaway.

TJ's contacted WildLife Works Mount Pleasant, which sent rescuer Morgan Barron to Eyth's home.

Wildlife Works said in a Facebook post that the group is having genetic testing done on the animal to determine its species.

"Behavior-wise, he's very timid, very scared and not aggressive at all, which makes me lean toward dog," Barron said.

The rescue group said the animal is being kept in isolation until the genetic testing results come back, a process that could take weeks. In the meantime, the creature is being treated for mange.

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Eyth said she was happy to help, regardless of whether the animal turns out to be a dog or a coyote.

"There was an animal in need, and I feel like I did the right thing either way," she said.

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