Do viral online posts show screenshots of real trail cam footage of a Chihuahua dog who "joins the wolf pack"? No, that's not true: The dog has been digitally inserted into two different trail cam images. According to specialized detection software, much of the story of a viral article about the "scrappy stray Chihuahua" in Ely, Minnesota was written by AI.
The image appeared in an article (archived here) published on September 15, 2025 by a website named "New and Tips" under a title that read "Chihuahua Joins the Wolf Pack: A Remarkable Story of Friendship and Survival". The story opened:
In Ely, Minnesota, the locals were used to seeing a scrappy stray Chihuahua roaming the streets. Despite his small size, he carried himself like he owned the town--friendly, but fearless. He wasn't afraid of anyone, even strangers. He was friendly with everyone but carried himself confidently and assertively. Then one day, after over a year of sightings, he suddenly disappeared.
With wolves moving closer to town, many assumed he had become prey for these fearsome predators. However, a month later, the truth was revealed. A trail camera set up by a farmer recorded an unexpected sight. The missing Chihuahua was not gone--he was confidently trotting alongside a wolf pack. This revelation stunned many, and some experts even questioned: How could such a small dog survive in the company of wolves?
This was the image used in the story and in social media posts promoting it:
(Image source: article on "News and Tips" website.)
However a reverse image search revealed the image had been digitally edited to insert the dog into two different pictures.
A video showing the exact same wolves and trees (but not the dog) visible in the top half of the image already appeared in June 13, 2022 on the Facebook account of the "Voyageurs Wolf Project" (archived here), about four seconds into the video.
(Image source: screenshot of Voyageurs Wolf Project Facebook video)
The wolves and trees in the bottom half of the image already appeared in a 2020 picture in an article on Northern Today (archived here), minus the dog:
(Image source: Northern Today article screenshot)
According to AI detection tool Hive's browser extension, a sample passage from the story was 100% likely the product of AI:
(Image source: Hive browser plugin results for passage in "News and Tips" story.)
