Rescue Foxes Find Forever Home in Ohio Family's 90-Acre Ranch
Pets come in all shapes and sizes, but one Ohio family opted for different animal companions when they introduced four foxes into their home.
Lynne Morrow lives in Ashtabula County where she and her husband first started caring for foxes during the COVID-19 lockdown.
"We would sit in our recliners and cuddle these babies as they slept on us," Morrow told Newsweek, recalling the two baby foxes they first adopted. "We were both delighted to have something to keep us busy. And before long, they bonded with us," she explained.
Named Finnigan and Willow, the foxes played together—and with the couple's two dogs. For the first few months, the foxes stayed indoors with the family until they were a little stronger and could move to live outside.
"They are the most beautiful animals I've grown very fond of," said Morrow. "My husband raised a few as a child along with coons and skunks, so it's a passion of his."
Foxes are omnivorous mammals that live on every content except Antarctica. The most common species is the red fox, but there are over 47 recognized fox species worldwide.
Owning a fox as a pet is only legal in 16 states, including Arkansas and Kentucky where any species can be owned without a permit and Florida where all fox species can be a pet with a permit from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Other places where one or more fox species are permitted as pets with a permit include Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, and New York.
North Carolina requires a vet certificate and in North Dakota pet foxes need a permit.
Morrow and her beloved foxes are based in Ohio where all species of fox are allowed to be owned with a permit. Of the states that allow pet foxes, Ohio offers the freedom to own a fox with a permit for any species.
As lockdown progressed, the couple fell even more in love with their new fox companions, and when Willow sadly died they welcomed an Arctic fox called Birch, grey fox Juniper, and red and grey fox mix Lindy into their pack too.
"We spend more time in the pen with them than in the house," said Morrow. "On nice days we may be in the pen for two or three hours playing with them and just watching them. We have had friends come to visit to have the 'fox experience' in the pen. We have lawn chairs in the pen and even take our insulated coffee out and sit with them—although you need a cup with a lid since they want to drink the coffee."
The average fox lifespan is just 3-4 years in the wild, but in captivity, they are known to live much longer: "They succumb to mange, distemper and Coyotes in the wild," explained Morrow, who cares for the foxes with her family on their 90-acre ranch.
"It takes patience but my favorite part of them is just sitting and watching them—I mean look at those faces," explained the fox owner. "It's been a wonderful experience for my two grandchildren—they are 12 and 14 and they love them."
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Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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