A dog plays a star role in this real-life story of a fox rescue.
One of our recent rescues puts a different spin on the old tale of the Fox and the Hound.
It was a spring day when a couple in Fauquier County became a part of a fox rescue, all thanks to the instincts and aid of their dog. She had recently given birth to puppies, so we imagine her parental instinct was strong. Perhaps that is how she found the orphaned baby foxes, known as kits, underneath the couple’s shed.
As a new mom, this dog had her paws full, but she made an effort to alert her humans to the presence of the kits. The kits’ parents were nowhere to be found so the couple reached out to the Wildlife Rescue League.
Luckily, WRL was able to help them locate a local rehabber only a few miles away. The couple was hesitant about moving the foxes, since foxes are a rabies vector species (RVS). Handling an RVS animal directly may risk exposure to the virus. “The owners did everything correct in contacting the Wildlife Rescue League, who then gave them my information, not letting the dog come into physical contact with the kits and not handling them without gloves or towels themselves,” said Elizabeth Negron, rehabber of FoxTales Wildlife Rehab.
The kits were safely transported for rehabilitation by Elizabeth. Unfortunately, only six of the nine kits survived over the next few days. It turns out the orphans were badly dehydrated and had been dealing with fleas. The kits were in grave need of support. As Elizabeth recalls, “The first several days were tough, and we weren’t sure how long mom and dad had gone, but it had obviously been several days.”
For foxes, both parents will nurture their babies and, once past the nursing stage, they can be tended to solely by their fathers. In this case, it was estimated that the kits had been unattended for some time, without support from either parent.
Although the location of the kits’ parents is still unknown, they now have a chance to thrive, thanks to a canine who cared about the fate of these foxes as if they were her own pups. Elizabeth noted during the rescue: “As we were walking back to the car with the six kits safely in the cat carrier, the mama dog followed us the entire way, making sure the kits were safe.”
Written by Christa Schelter
