We talked with game warden this morning about a gray fox that has been hanging around our house the last 2 days.
My brother told me that yesterday after I left with Aaliyah for our visit to her breeder, it was right near the car in front of the house when he was outside with Ruby & Brando in the dog pen. He walked toward it and it moved away. He made a noise and the fox ran off to the stone wall but kept peeking his head out watching. My brother said that up close (he got within 20ft of it), the thing is beautiful and doesn't show any sign of bad health.
We didn't see it last night but this morning when I took the kids out to the pen, they were running like crazy and looking in back so I knew it was around. Sure enough, Ruby & Brando stopped running and went up on the steps…I went to the steps and there it was...it ran behind the shed and the garage.
So according to the game warden...it is a young fox that has either received the boot from his mother because she had new kits or else something happened to his mother and he is now on his own. He is here because he is confused as he's never been on his own and because he's never seen humans he is wary but not totally afraid of us. And the reason he is hanging around...he thinks the kids are foxes and wants to join their pack :D:D:D...he isn't a danger to them, he's just curious about them.
Anyway, the warden said for us just to make noise when we see him and he will eventually move on. And he said that it won't come near us when we walk at 4:30am...the only time it would is if it was sick, but we would know that by now because it would be lying around the yard or would have charged my brother when he came toward it. Also, gray foxes are less likely to have rabies...but they can climb trees! He said we can kill it if we want, but in a couple of days it should move on. We're going to set off the car alarm everytime we see it now...that should do the trick. I'd hate to kill it only because it is amazing looking.
So it looks like I don't need another basenji right away, we have a fox joining the pack! Ha, ha.
That is so cool! I love foxes. We have lots of red foxes around here…but not as many gray ones. I have never seen one (other than road kill). I feel sorry for the little guy, getting kicked out by his mom (sniff!)
Hi,
could you possibly get a pic of the Fox, i have never seen a Gray one, we only have Red in the UK.
About two months ago a Black fox was sighted in the next town to where we live, it was thought to be a mutation i think. Sadly it was found dead soon after.
You better not get a doggie door, or it'll follow your guys inside and they will all run round the house chasing each other, and soon you'll just have a house full of foxes and basenjis, and there'll be no place safe. You'll have no place to walk, the foxes will be in the shade, and the Bs in the sun. 
As beautiful as foxes are, and as healthy as this one may be, they are NOT domestic animals, nor do they make good pets. They can (and usually will) cause heaps of damage to your house, and cannot really be trusted not to give something to your B's - if you can get the fox to move on, you should do that.
@Shaye's:
As beautiful as foxes are, and as healthy as this one may be, they are NOT domestic animals, nor do they make good pets. They can (and usually will) cause heaps of damage to your house, and cannot really be trusted not to give something to your B's - if you can get the fox to move on, you should do that.
+1
If I recall correctly, don't foxes have a strong odor? Seems like the opposite of a Basenji.
You better not get a doggie door, or it'll follow your guys inside and they will all run round the house chasing each other, and soon you'll just have a house full of foxes and basenjis, and there'll be no place safe. You'll have no place to walk, the foxes will be in the shade, and the Bs in the sun.
Ha, ha, ha…too funny...I wonder how a fox would enjoy a B500...probably not too much! ;):D
@Shaye's:
As beautiful as foxes are, and as healthy as this one may be, they are NOT domestic animals, nor do they make good pets. They can (and usually will) cause heaps of damage to your house, and cannot really be trusted not to give something to your B's - if you can get the fox to move on, you should do that.
I take it that you thought I was serious about it "actually" joining my pack. :rolleyes::D
I'm pretty sure I said that we:
a) contacted the game warden to find out how to get rid of it (including finding out if we were allowed to kill it if necessary)…and
b) we were going to hit the car alarm everytime we see him so that he gets scared off.
Anyway, instead of a fox as a pet, I'd much rather have a chimp so that I can take long baths with it and have a glass of wine with it.**:rolleyes::rolleyes: :D:D.
Anyone else that thought I was serious about the fox ACTUALLY joining my pack...I WAS KIDDING!!!!!! Congrats Andrea, Michael and Thunderbird for getting my bit of humour and realizing I'm not a complete idiot and wasn't being serious! :D:D Just because he might want to join the pack doesn't mean he gets to! I'm not done with my basenji collection yet. :D:D:D
Oh, and I took some pics of it today, but they are from my cell so I'm going to res them up at work so that you can hopefully see the fox clearer. I'll post them tomorrow.
**Another joke...I was referencing the chimp in CT where the woman actually did those things with it.
That is so cool! I love foxes. We have lots of red foxes around here…but not as many gray ones. I have never seen one (other than road kill). I feel sorry for the little guy, getting kicked out by his mom (sniff!)
I had only ever seen red foxes before this one. It is kind of cool everytime new wildlife is seen on the property…and this guy is especially beautiful. Part of the charm of living in the woods in Maine. Although I will say I was concerned about walking the B kids this morning before we talked with the warden because I didn't want him to try to attack them. Sounds more like he would have wanted to join us on the walk.
I take it that you thought I was serious about it "actually" joining my pack. :rolleyes::D
I'm pretty sure I said that we:
a) contacted the game warden to find out how to get rid of it (including finding out if we were allowed to kill it if necessary)…and
b) we were going to hit the car alarm everytime we see him so that he gets scared off.Anyway, instead of a fox as a pet, I'd much rather have a chimp so that I can take long baths with it and have a glass of wine with it.**:rolleyes::rolleyes: :D:D.
Anyone else that thought I was serious about the fox ACTUALLY joining my pack...I WAS KIDDING!!!!!! Congrats Andrea, Michael and Thunderbird for getting my bit of humour and realizing I'm not a complete idiot and wasn't being serious! :D:D Just because he might want to join the pack doesn't mean he gets to! I'm not done with my basenji collection yet. :D:D:D
Oh, and I took some pics of it today, but they are from my cell so I'm going to res them up at work so that you can hopefully see the fox clearer. I'll post them tomorrow.
**Another joke…I was referencing the chimp in CT where the woman actually did those things with it.
yeah…right up until it ripped her friend's face off 
Seriously though...a healthy fox shouldn't pose any risk to a domesticated dog (at least one bigger than a chicken!). Lots of us here live with wildlife all around our property...no biggie...just a very cool sighting, and I am jealous 
I am kind of surprised that the game warden said it was okay to kill it…don't you need a permit of some sort?
I am kind of surprised that the game warden said it was okay to kill it…don't you need a permit of some sort?
Depends… in some parts a fox is considered a rodent.... as I remember when I lived in Pa...
I remember someone way, way back when I lived back East that kept foxes (on chains...yikes)... and you would not believe the holes that they can dig...
Seriously though…a healthy fox shouldn't pose any risk to a domesticated dog (at least one bigger than a chicken!). Lots of us here live with wildlife all around our property...no biggie...just a very cool sighting, and I am jealous
Yeah, that was what the warden told us…they won't go after a domesticated dog unless something is wrong with it. I was mainly worried about Liyah as she is still a little peanut. We were laughing though that the warden was probably thinking, what the heck, they have dogs that look like red foxes and/or little deer (both Ruby & Brando are r/w). No wonder the fox is confused.
Regarding killing it...they shoot everything around here :rolleyes:. They killed a moose in Portland and it was a huge uproar because everyone thought it should have been tranquilized and moved.
Everytime I read or see info on that Russian domestic fox study, I think it would be fun to have one for a pet. (one of the domestic ones of course.)
We had an Arctic Fox at the zoo while I worked there. She was surrendered as a former pet that had been locked in the garage for a couple years 
She was adorable, and beautiful and stinky and hard to train because she had serious trust issues with people (as a wild animal should) even though she was born and raised in captivity. I wanted to train her to cooperate with husbandry issues…but the education dept (not my dept) wanted to train her to do a variety of other things, including wearing a collar and leash so she could be taken on programs I kind of separated myself from the project at that point. She was VERY cool....
My Basenjis are fascinated with a Red Fox that has been hanging around my place for years. I've fed her for a long time and the B's now wait on the gated porch for the fox to pick up her dinner before they'll come in the house. Also, there is a flying squirrel that eats at one of the bird feeders that my two-year-old Basenji loves to watch jump from the tree to the feeder and back. Ahhh…living in the mountains!
Interesting that the little fox ignores the Basenjis but will run from the other dogs. No barking?!
Please don't kill the fox, it is unlikely that it will harm your dogs or children. They are very curious animals and very shy. Nature has a hard enough time without humans destroying more of it.
I wanted to train her to cooperate with husbandry issues…but the education dept (not my dept) wanted to train her to do a variety of other things, including wearing a collar and leash so she could be taken on programs
Sad…I hate seeing wild animals in those situations.
I am kind of surprised that the game warden said it was okay to kill it…don't you need a permit of some sort?
I don't know. I know where I am you can shoot coyotes, etc. if they are nuisances, ie killing chickens, endangering livestock, as long as you are on … I think its 2 acres or more {might be 5}.
My niece lives on five acres that butt up against the woods. She has three pitbulls that are in a small fenced area next to her house. She also has a couple of coyotes that frequently come into her yard, just outside her dog yard and appear to attempt to engage the dogs in play.
We've had coyotes outside our back fence; they never bother our dogs or kids though.
Coincidentally, I watched a sweet movie last night, The Fox and The Child narrated by Kate Winslett. I believe it is based on a children's book and would be very appropriate for young girls…and moms, too!
http://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a120191/luc-jacquet-the-fox-and-the-child.html
The coyotes don't bother my dogs, either. The coyotes around here are very brazen and show themselves during the day. The only animal I worry about is bear because my dogs would chase it.
Coincidentally, I watched a sweet movie last night, The Fox and The Child narrated by Kate Winslett. I believe it is based on a children's book and would be very appropriate for young girls…and moms, too!
http://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a120191/luc-jacquet-the-fox-and-the-child.html
The coyotes don't bother my dogs, either. The coyotes around here are very brazen and show themselves during the day. The only animal I worry about is bear because my dogs would chase it.
Our coyotes here are also out in the day time.
We know there's a bear in our woods, but he has been there for years and has never bothered any people or pets – except for one guy whose dogs attacked it, and then it attacked him. He survived...but I bet from now on he keeps his dogs restrained.
