The real life Fox and the Hound! Vixen becomes best friends with a family Labrador after ‘imprinting’ on a student who became her surrogate mother
- Gemma Holdway, 19, discovered five two-day old foxes on their farm in Bath
- The student intended to release them all into the wild, but one imprinted on her
- She raises the female fox called Vixey with her Labrador and three Jack Russells
A student who became a surrogate mother to an abandoned vixen cub has told how the adorable creature is now best friends with her pet Labrador – aping the Disney movie The Fox and The Hound.
When Gemma Holdway, 19, and her family discovered five two-day-old foxes nestling into hay on their farm in Bath, Somerset, they feared the cubs might die when their mother failed to return.
So, they took them in, intending to give them to an animal hospital to eventually be released back into the wild.
But, the runt of the litter, a little vixen, ended up imprinting – a critical period of an animal’s life when it forms attachments – on to Gemma and her boyfriend Dan Pearse, 19, which led to her adopting and hand-rearing the cub.
Gemma Holdway, 19, from Bath poses with her pet vixen, Vixey, who has become best friends with her Labrador after being hand reared in the family home
The 1981 Disney film The Fox and the Hound tells the story of an unlikely friendship between a cub and a pup
Now animal science and management student Gemma, who feeds, bathes and walks the fox, called Vixey, alongside her four dogs, says: ‘Vixey is definitely a dog at heart.
-
Adventure junkie and his beloved rescue dog spend their days…
Paw things! Hilarious snaps reveal animals who got into some…
‘The dream job can morph into a nightmare’: Veterinarian of…
Minnie and the ‘Meghan effect’! Shy Jack Russell that won…
Share this article
‘I completely understand that she is still a wild animal, and is very independent – but I also know that, now she has imprinted onto humans, she may end up being hurt if she went off on her own.
‘Wild foxes would smell us on her, and see her as something to kill.
After Vixey imprinted on Gemma, she has raised her with her four dogs. The Vixen cub quickly became best friends with her Labrador, Luna (pictured together)
‘We have acres of land she can run around, so she has a very nice, laid-back life and will go off exploring every day, before finding her way home before dark.’
Gemma’s dad discovered Vixey and the rest of the litter in March 2018, when cleaning out a barn – at first mistaking the animals for kittens.
The moment she saw the white tips of their tales, though, Gemma said she knew they were foxes, recalling: ‘Dan had actually got there slightly before me and ended up taking a picture of his favourite one.
Gemma, who feeds, bathes and walks Vixey alongside her four dogs, says: ‘Vixey is definitely a dog at heart’
‘I did the same and we were both drawn to the runt of the litter – which ended up being Vixey.
‘From there, we put them in a box with some straw to keep them warm. We have CCTV, so we rewound it the next morning and watched it all back, to see if their mum came back – but she never did.
‘We live near a busy road, so we were worried she might have been run over. Without her, we knew we had to do something, or the foxes would die.’
Gemma and her boyfriend Dan ended up both choosing Vixey as their favourite fox cub, she them imprinted on them
Taking them in, the family then arranged for a nearby animal hospital to have the litter.
But, at around five days old, Vixey opened her eyes for the first time, then imprinting onto the Good Samaritans – a kind of bonding between a baby animal and the first thing it has visual, auditory or tactile contact with, helping them to gain a sense of species identification.
Sadly, it meant being released back into the wild could be very dangerous for Vixey, as her identification with humans meant she might not have learned certain behaviours vital for survival, like predator awareness, or hunting skills.
Vixey can’t be released into the wild, as her identification with humans meant she might not have learned certain behaviours vital for survival
Of Vixey’s litter, three have now been released back into the wild and one is also domesticated like Vixey
Gemma has now introduced Vixey to her four dogs. As well as Luna the Labrador, she has Jack Russells Raisin, Nidge and Polar Bear
‘Foxes are shockers for imprinting,’ explained Gemma. ‘None of us realised at the time, as it happened so quickly, but once they open their eyes, that’s it. Whoever they see first is mum.
‘We knew we had to act fast to get the rest of them to the hospital, so we took them right away. Three have now been released back into the wild and one is also domesticated like Vixey.’
Realising she was destined to keep Vixey, Gemma set about arranging her injections and introducing her to her four dogs, Labrador Luna and Jack Russells Raisin, Nidge and Polar Bear.
Gemma says that Vixey follows the dogs everywhere ‘and copies what they do’. With Jack Russell Raisin acting as her mum
She continued: ‘Luna, in particular, was very wary at first. She didn’t quite know what Vixey was and was unsure when she’d try to play with her.
‘Now they absolutely love each other. They’re the very best of friends.
‘Vixey follows the dogs everywhere, copying what they do. Raisin rules the roost, so has almost taken on the role of Vixey’s mum.’
Fortunately, Vixey eats similarly to her canine chums, preferring wet dog food or dry biscuits to cooked meat.
Vixey is treated like all the other dogs in the house, eating dog food and dry biscuits
Gemma added: ‘We’ve tried giving her chicken, or a pig in blanket at Christmas, but she doesn’t like either.
‘She’ll carry them around in her mouth, before hiding them somewhere.’
Gemma is also currently trying to get Vixey used to wearing a lead, hoping to, one day, take her on walks with Luna, Raisin, Nidge and Polar Bear.
She added: ‘We’re getting there with lead training. She wears a collar and bell, which she’s fine with – the bell in particular is a godsend, as she’s so fast, that it helps us know where she is.
Gemma is also currently trying to get Vixey used to wearing a lead, hoping to, one day, take her on walks with Luna, Raisin, Nidge and Polar Bear
Vixey, pictured as a cub, hates wearing a lead and is currently being walked with a ferret harness
‘But she hated having a lead clipped onto it. Right now, we’re trying a ferret harness, as it’s the only thing that fits her narrow body.
‘Once she’s trained, we’d love to take her out, but are wary about other dogs and people at the moment.’
Respectful that Vixey is still a wild animal, Gemma allows her plenty of time to roam around her land, which has been ‘fox-proofed’ so she cannot escape and predators cannot get in.
Vixey is given plenty of time to roam around her land, which has been ‘fox-proofed’ so predators can’t get in, but still enjoys life inside and the odd selfie
The adorable creature will enjoy a 30 minute run each morning before breakfast, then has the rest of the day to explore.
‘She always makes her way home before dark. She’s very intelligent, and can remember where she lives,’ said Gemma. ‘She’ll then come in to sleep for the night. She either sleeps on my bed, or under the sofa.
‘She is also completely house-trained, and either goes to the toilet outside, or in a litter tray.
Vixey, pictured at just a few days old, enjoys a 30 minute run each morning before breakfast, then has the rest of the day to explore
‘We have learned the hard way not to leave any shoes lying around though, as for some reason, she sees them as toilets, so wees in them.’
While Gemma knows that many people have negative opinions about foxes, with a string of stories hitting the headlines about them getting into homes and biting people, she insists that Vixey has a gentle temperament.
‘People can be wary of her when they meet her, but she is far more likely to run off and hide until she trusts someone than attack. She recognises all of us, so will run to the door to greet us,’ she said.
Gemma says when Vixey comes in to sleep for the night, ‘she either sleeps on my bed, or under the sofa’
Gemma says that Vixey has a ‘very gentle temperament’ and would never bite anyone unless she felt threatened
‘Foxes only tend to bite when they feel threatened or are protecting their young, so if ever she seems in a strop and shows her teeth, we know to just leave her alone.
‘She has nipped us a couple of times, but there’s never any nastiness with it – and you get the same when training a puppy.
‘Foxes are scavengers and they are opportunistic, which people don’t like. But the way Vixey hunts is fascinating, as she’s learned a lot from the dogs so copies their movements.’
Unlike most foxes, Vixey doesn’t scavenge but copies the dog’s behaviour when it comes to food
And Vixey is now firmly entrenched as a member of Gemma’s family.
She added: ‘We all adore Vixey, but not everybody has been nice about her.
‘It would have been great to release her, but it was simply too dangerous. She has a lovely life with us and as long as she’s under our roof, she’s nobody else’s business.
Though she dotes on Vixey, Gemma is careful not to encourage others to get foxes as pets, as her situation is unique
‘We’ve fox-proofed the garden so she can’t get out and attack anything, but she also has lots of land to run around on.
‘Anyone who meets her can see how happy she is.’
Though she dotes on Vixey, Gemma is careful not to encourage others to get foxes as pets, as her situation is unique, saying: ‘Although Vixey is a great member of the family, we wouldn’t recommend having a fox as they are highly demanding and aren’t suited for living in a typical domestic environment.’
Gemma’s story is alike to the 1981 film the Fox and the Hound, which tells the story of a fox and dog becoming best friends
The 1981 Disney animation, the Fox and the Hound, tells the story of an orphaned red fox, who is adopted by a kind farmer called Widow Tweed.
Tweed names the fox Tod, due to his toddler-like cuteness.
Meanwhile, the farmer’s neighbour brings home a young hound puppy named Copper.
Tod and Copper meet and vow to become ‘friends forever’.
Source: Read Full Article