A Real Fox Tale!!

Last Sat about 4 in the afternoon, I was out in my little GH right by the driveway. I heard the strangest "whistle" I had ever heard. I really thought it was a man whistling for a lost dog or something.

Then to my shock - I saw this skinny gray Fox, strolling up the drive - he went right up to the area by my front door and started digging slowly in the dirt. He didn't dig much and acted really sick. He walked like he was in pain and sort of arched his back. I was afraid he had rabies or even West Nile Virus. I stayed out of his way and darned if he didn't turn around and go right in my greenhouse where I had been cleaning it out.

I shut the door and ran in the house and called for DH to come and see him. I said I was going to call Animal control to get him. Well, they were closed, and I reached the police. I was told to call an Exterminator, that they only came out for dogs & cats!! This made me mad - this thing was sick and I didn't know what he might do. I then located another number and someone who told me to call 911, that an officer should come out and determine if it had rabies. So I did this, after much complaining - they said they would send an officer.

Meanwhile, without my knowledge, dh opened the door, and didn't close it tight enough!! So by the time my neighbors arrived and 2 police cars, the fox was gone!!

Now the police were very nice, but told me that it was not rabid or it would have been spuing out saliva, I said maybe he was just not to that stage yet, or it was West Nile. They did look around some in the woods but I'm sure they thought I was totally nuts! A crazy old woman wanting attention with a false alarm. Don't know when I was ever so embarrassed. What would you have done??

Would have done the same...in fact, somthing simuliar happend when we lived in Fla...just after Christmas, and on a week end...our neighbor called DH over to kill a "rattler" in her flower bed...to make a long story short, it wasn't even a rattler, but a Ball Python that had gotten out of someones home. Called Animal control to no avail...finally got someone that would come and take charge of it and post in the lost and found. Jo

The police did tell me that they would have shot it if it had been rabid, and to call them if I saw it again. I just felt so stupid!! Dh said he was going to tell everyone I was nuts, that there was NO fox!! After 40 yrs of his humor - WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

Your fox indeed sounds like it was sick. Most self-respecting fox would NOT come right up into a greenhouse with fresh human scent! In some ways it would be good for it to come back because then it could be put out of its misery. In other ways it will be good if it is gone forever from your area! Good luck proving that you are not nuts. Lani


Edited to put in the word NOT. Whoops!

This message was edited Wednesday, Oct 9th 12:33 AM

what would I do??? shoot Doug!

Beleive me I was ready to!! I guess I could have got away with it too, saying I missed the fox, it was an accident!!

hahaha!!!! he's gonna shoot me when I visit for saying that!

The plot thickens! Woman calls athourities about possibly rabid fox. Unable to locate the fox they leave. Later that week lady calls athourities saying "I Shot my Husband! It was an accident, I was shooting at that rabid fox I called you about earlier in the week and he walked right in front of me as I pulled the trigger" No evidence of the fox was found and the Husband was DOA. The "grieving" widow has collected on the life insurance and unable to stand all the remindeers of her dear dead Husband is touring the world with a young male companion...

HMMMM Could work!

I guess I'd better not let him read this one!!

I would have done the same thing. Have rescued smaller, injured animals-my cat Casey is one; but with that size and his actions sounds like a very ill animal. It may have been poisoned or with arched back, be a very old fox with arthritis (like our dog, who "roaches her back when in pain") I am sending you hugs for caring enough to try to do something for the poor thing, and a stinker award to the authorities who play pass the buck when it comes to dealing with animals.

Fox's normally don't come out in daylight and if they do they don't like anything to do with humans.
Sounds like it was definitely sick and also sounds like your Animal Control is like here, poor.