Story: The fox and the hounds
TweetI need the woods. It’s where I regenerate. It’s where I connect. It’s where I Am.
When we bought our home many years ago, I thought it was a slice of heaven, because part of our property is the woods. Better yet, next to our land is a mostly undeveloped forested park of several hundred acres.
Every day I am thankful I get to live here. We don’t just see songbirds and squirrels and chipmunks. We see great horned owls and pileated woodpeckers. We see coyote and raccoon and skunk. We see deer and their adorably spotted fawns.
And we see foxes–gorgeous red foxes.
The dogs don’t just seem ’em. They smell ’em. And if there’s one scent that drives Jasper, Lilah and Tucker completely bonkers it’s fox. Particularly when they are in our yard.
But a day when they don’t just smell a fox, but actually see one…that’s a Very Special Day Indeed.
There was a fox! We saw it! We smelled it!
Because you actually get to bark at the fox.
It’s running! We have to bark at it!
And you can watch it run.
Where did it go?
And then you can stand guard in case it comes back.
I’ll keep watch in case it comes back.
Because it’s important that everyone knows when a fox is nearby.
And I’ll take up my post here, ever on guard.
I have to admit, that while I don’t run back and forth along the fence barking like a fool, I too, am thrilled when the foxes come by. They’re beautiful creatures, and fun to watch. One year they denned so close that I could watch the kits play from behind our fence.
I am so lucky to live where I can watch a mother fox pick up her wayward offspring and carry them back to safety. And yes, I do know what the fox says, because I’ve heard him (and her) and their babies bark and yip and howl.
What’s special about your home or the area you live that makes it a great place for your pets? Is it that one tree trunk that has all the neighborhood’s peemail? Or the window with a birdfeeder view that is perfect for bird watching?
This post is part of the Monday Mischief blog hop. Take a moment and check out some of the stories in the blogs below.
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How awesome. I love seeing all kinds of wildlife, and foxes are super cute. I feel the same way about the woods.
Thanks. It’s nice to know someone else who has that same kind of connection. 🙂
I agree with you – foxes are exquisite creatures when you are privileged to see one up close. Terrific post.
Thank you! My goal is to get a good photo of one of the foxes. One day…
We have never seen a fox here but we have lots of squirrels and birds the dogs like to chase out of the yard. I just couldn’t help but think looking at your photo that my Icie girl would have been over that fence in a minute if she’d seen something that really excited her. It’s been a lot of work keeping her from chasing squirrels over the fence… it’s those darn extra toes! lol
While the fence looks like it’s just a split rail, there is 8 feet of deer fencing behind it that help keep dogs in and deer out. My husband swears one day Tucker will blow through the deer fence. I’m hoping that doesn’t happen.
We’re in easy walking distance from four different parks which is nice.
Four parks! That’s great; there’s always someplace fun to explore.
Wow, we never get to see foxes. We have deers in our yard which is pretty cool. We like to watch them.
We love deer, too. They are ever so much fun to watch and bark at. And bark at. And bark at. Did I mention the dogs like to bark at deer? 😉
Wow foxes I’ve never smelled one of them before! I am an urban dog but we have lots of parks and places to take great walks. The city can be a great place for dogs too! Love Dolly
I don’t think it matters where you walk; there are good sniffs and places to explore in the country or the city!
Enjoyed this post…I so relate. We don’t live ‘in the woods’ but we live on the edges of whats called ‘open space’ in Calif. So there’s not much past us and it affords us great hiking as well as the nature similar to you. No foxes here, but plenty of coyotes and owls and hawks and falcons and we get occasional egret…or at least I think it’s an egret.
Very cool! Sounds like you all have your own little slice of heaven. We just recently moved from an apartment to a house, so while we don’t have a huge piece of land or woods, we at least have a back and front yard now as opposed to parking lot. The cats are loving it – so many birds and squirrels all the time. They are mesmerized by the windows every day.
You’re wonderful guard dogs protecting your perimeter! I’ve never encountered a fox, thankfully!
The worst I think is a Racoon or Skunk, if anything comes near my garden I let everyone know it’s around! 🙂
I hope you’re having a fun day,
Your pal Snoopy 🙂
That’s pawsome Snoopy! You’re a great guard dog, making sure everyone knows about Racoons and Skunks.