One day, someone in Colorado Springs noticed a group of tiny creatures trapped inside a storm drain. Thinking quickly, the person dialed the fire department, hoping they could do something. Calls like this are nothing new for firefighters, who are always ready to help animals in trouble. Within minutes, a team of firefighters arrived, determined to save what they thought were a bunch of helpless puppies.
At first glance, everything seemed as expected. The firefighters pulled out eight small, black-furred babies, assuming they were newborn puppies. It all appeared to be a sad case of abandoned dogs—something they’d seen before. But this rescue would soon take a very unexpected turn.
Not Your Average Puppies
As the crew brought the animals to safety, they couldn’t find any sign of the mother dog. Fire Captain Brian Vaughan later shared with Inside Edition, “They simply thought these were newborn black Labrador Retriever puppies and were actually worried about this case of dog dumping.” Wanting to ensure the babies were okay, they took them straight to the Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region.
That’s when things got interesting.
A vet at the shelter took one look at the little ones and said, “No, these aren’t Labradors, these are foxes.” The firefighter who had carried them in was completely stunned. The babies they had rescued weren’t dogs at all—they were baby red foxes!
The mix-up was understandable. The little fox kits were very young and had dark reddish-brown fur, which made them resemble Labrador puppies. But once the vet explained it, everything made more sense.
Why Foxes Were There In the First Place
According to the vet, the area where the animals were found sits near the base of the Rocky Mountains. It’s a place where wild animals like foxes are often spotted. So, while the firefighters were surprised, local wildlife experts were not.
Travis Sauder, a Wildlife Manager with Colorado Parks and Wildlife, told CBS News, “This time of year there are a lot of animals that are starting to have their young, and they have them in small dens that are places that we can encounter.” Storm drains, it turns out, are not an unusual spot for foxes to give birth in or hide their young.
What started as a rescue for abandoned puppies turned out to be something completely different—but just as important.
She Mistreated 66 Dogs—And Can Still Own Pets Legally!
All 66 dogs had some kind of physical injuries; three of them were so beyond help that they had to be euthanized. Sign the petition now to tell the Senate that we must do better to protect our beloved animals
Finding A Safe Place For the Little Ones
Once they knew the animals were wild foxes, the team made a plan. They returned the kits to the storm drain, hoping their mother might come back to find them. Sadly, that didn’t happen.
With the mother still missing, the tiny foxes needed special care. They were taken to The Animal Clinic of Woodland Park, a facility in Colorado that helps wild animals recover and get ready to return to nature. There, a skilled rehabber named Terri took them in and began feeding and caring for them around the clock.
“So yes, a litter of eight red fox kits was found in Colorado Springs and brought up to our great rehabber. Terri is losing sleep feeding them for hours, but so far, so good,” the clinic shared in a Facebook post.
Thanks to Terri’s dedication and the quick thinking of the firefighters and veterinarians, all eight foxes grew strong and healthy. When they were old enough to survive on their own, they were released back into the wild where they belong.
Please ‘SHARE’ to pass on this story to a friend or family member
These firefighters in rescued what they thought were puppies from a storm drain… but it turns out they’re red foxes!
What to do now?
Reporter @AbeytaCBS4 shares the story: https://t.co/ubpMJjjj8h
(:video_camera:: Colorado Springs Fire Department) pic.twitter.com/Mksg0A0IJH
— CBSColorado (@CBSNewsColorado) March 16, 2018
Click ‘SHARE’ below to pass it on to a friend or family member!
