A small coyote pup is lucky to be alive after running headfirst into a cholla cactus in Arizona Tuesday.
Poor pup: This young coyote ran headfirst into a cholla cactus plant in Sun City West, Arizona, leaving him with seven large clumps clinging to his face
Painful ordeal: The injured pup made his way to the Pebblebrook Golf Course, where help soon arrived
Soto, wearing thick leather gloves, got hold of the pup and kept him still while Bordine wielding a pair of pliers proceeded to pull large cholla clumps out of his body, then used smaller pliers to remove 20-30 individual spikes.
Men at work: Pebblebrook Golf Course worker Jose Soto (left) and Assistant Superintendent Shawn Bordine (right) jumped into action, using pliers to remove the cactus clumps and spines from the pup’s body
All better: Jose Soto posing with the lucky pup after having all the spikes extracted
On the mend: The young coyote sustained a few cuts from the spikes, but was able to rejoin its parents and siblings roaming around the golf course
Later that day, Bordine saw the rescued pup with his dad, who licked him and appeared to play with him before the pair ran off.
‘I’m glad we were able to help, because I hate to see an animal down. It would have killed me if we didn’t do anything,’ Bordine said. ‘I have a dog, and I would want someone to help if my dog was hurt.’
This is not the first time that Bordine and Soto, now being called the Dynamic Duo by their co-workers, have helped save an animal in distress.
Last year, the two rescued a red-tailed hawk that had fallen out of the nest on Pebblebrook Golf Course 1th green.