I am trying to get in a little more exercise in an effort to lose some weight. Yesterday, I decided to walk for 45 minutes. Tippy’s usual walk is only about 25 minutes. In an effort to extend the time and not get bored, I walked places back in the fields that we don’t usually go. I still had 15 minutes left when we got back to the house, so, I did laps up and down the driveway.
On the first lap, Tippy came running past me – I’m convinced, just to show off – and went under the fence into the neighbor’s field. On my way back, I was startled by something running down the hill and into the driveway. It was a squirrel, which, upon seeing me, was just as startled as I was. We stared at each other a few seconds and then he did his horror film impression (darting back and forth in the road) before running on down the hill into the woods.
On my next lap, I heard a noise in the woods, looked down, and saw it was Tippy. She let out an excited little bark and then took off running. I figured she was chasing the squirrel, so was surprised when I saw a red fox come streaking across the driveway in front of me with Tippy right on it’s tail. I yelled at her, but, she was so intent on chasing the fox that I’m sure she didn’t even hear my voice. I was just wasting my breath.
I was a little bit concerned about how far/long she would chase this new intruder into her territory. But, fortunately, she came back in less than 5 minutes. Since everything happened so fast, I didn’t get any pictures of the actual chase. I did, however, get some pictures of Tippy when she got back.
In case you have never seen one, here is a picture of a red fox. They are actually a pretty animal and help keep the the squirrel and rabbit populations in check.
We never know what we are going to see when we go for a walk. That’s one thing I love about living out in the country!
Seeing the fox running made me think of the song “Fox on the Run” by Sweet, which I grew up listening to, hence the name of this blog post. Here is the video, if you would like to listen.
I love that first photo of Tippy–she looks like she just had the best workout! Good song–I have always liked that one.
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I think she did have a great workout. She’s been sleeping since about 6pm. LOL
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Holy smokes! It sounds like Tippy got quite a workout. Secretly, I’m glad she didn’t catch either creature. This way, you got to see them and experience them without dealing with the gory aftermath!
Jean from Welcome to the Menagerie
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So true. I’m glad she didn’t catch either one too.
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Tippy looks sooo tired, in a happy way. Glad she didn’t catch the fox though!☺ Thank you for sharing the song, I grew up with their music too!☺🎸🎶
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I’m glad she didn’t either. From what I saw, they were pretty well matched, as far as speed goes. My thoughts are that once the fox got far enough away from “her” property, she just let it go.
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I think so too, it looks like a ‘get off my land’ kind of chase by the triumphant look in Tippy’s eyes ☺💖 xxx
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Nice!!
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One summer we had a fox nest near our townhouse complex and I saw the babies out briefly. I don’t know what happened to them – or don’t want to know. They didn’t come back the following summer. I was concerned however that my dog would notice them. Fortunately, he never did. I think they were smarter than him .. and I’m sure the mom fox would be tougher too.
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You’re probably right about the mom fox being tougher. Most wild animals are very protective of their offspring. I’m glad your dog didn’t notice them. I’m hoping this one was just resting and doesn’t have a den on that hill. Maybe Tippy persuaded it that that wasn’t a good idea, if it did.
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Good for her. That will teach them to trespass on her territory…
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Tippy looks tired but like a great time was had!
We were out on a walk last weekend when my next door neighbor stopped me (he was driving) to tell me that he had just seen a fox in the direction we had come. It happened to be at a location where Choppy has recently been spending a lot of sniffing time. So I may not have known it was there, but Choppy definitely did, even if she didn’t see it!
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Sounds like Choppy DID know. I often wish Tippy could tell me what critter she smells – especially when she spends 2 minutes sniffing up and down a single weed. I figure it is either something she’s not familiar with or she’s trying to decide if it is worth the effort to leave behind some pee-mail. 😉
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It would be great to know! Thanks to the snow, I sometimes do have a vague idea – like when I can see the deer hoof prints or bunny paths.
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Yes. Snow and mud do help us humans have some idea of what has been running around.
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What a fun and foxy run! Do I have to admit that I listened to that song too? What year was that anyway? Oh, and then there was “Little Willy” too!
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It was 1974. I loved “Little Willy” too. When I drive long distances, I listen to 70’s on 7 on Sirus XM radio. It brings back lots of memories and helps me stay awake as I sing along.
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Oh Tippy, you are beautiful. Thanks for stopping by DogDaz Zoo. We will come by and visit again. Watch out for those foxes. We have many and they make us crazy – bark bark bark bark
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Tippy says “Thank you” for the compliment. Glad you stopped by and enjoyed the blog. Try to not let those foxes drive you too crazy….just show them who’s boss.
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I can’t believe I remembered that song, even if the title didn’t jar anything in my brain. Sounds like you and Tippy had quite the outing. Your description of the squirrel horror show thing is funny and all too true. Sometimes you have to wonder if they’re suicidal.
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We did have a great outing. Thank you. I think you may be the only person who caught my horror show reference and knew what I meant. At least, you are the only one that commented on it. I laugh and think about that every time I see one in the road.
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I could just picture it in my mind and couldn’t help but laugh. They do have a tendency to go back and forth like they can’t quite make up their mind what to do.
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I actually have heard somewhere that it is their defense mechanism. They think if they zig-zag enough, they will either confuse or lose whatever is chasing them. Doesn’t work for a car, unfortunately.
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Awe poor squirrels. There was a movie that had the same zigzag philosophy when being chased by someone but I can’t remember what it was called.
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As an aside, this actually works for alligators. They can outrun a human in a straight line, for a short distance. But, if you zig zag, they try to follow you and it slows them down enough that you can get away.
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I do recall hearing that about alligators although I don’t think I’d have the wherewithal to run in a zig zag pattern. So I’d probably end up being alligator bait. 😂I can only laugh because odds are I won’t find myself in this situation. I hope I won’t have to eat my words.
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I hope you don’t either, Steph. This was part of our safety briefing when I transferred to Florida when I was in the Air Force. I never had to use this tidbit of knowledge, but there was a huge alligator that lived in the drainage ditch near the building I worked in. We called him George.
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Thankfully you haven’t needed to use it as well. So I’m assuming the folks in the area just let George be and he didn’t bother anyone? At least I hope he didn’t.
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He didn’t. Unfortunately, some people would feed him, which is a no-no. That is what makes them become a nuisance. I would walk/run after work some days and was always wary when I went by him, but he never made a move towards me.
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Well that’s a good thing. I’d sure be wary.
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We used to have foxes in our neighborhood too but they seem to have moved away. One morning at sunrise when I let him out, Sam decided to dash off after one of the yard visitors. I had to chase him for nearly 3 blocks in boxer shorts and t-shirt, barefooted. That knucklehead came trotting back looking a lot like Tippy, dog-tired. Grrr. Thanks for sharing that cool song!
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I’m laughing at the picture in my head of you chasing Sam, dressed as you were, who was chasing a fox. I think that would make a great Dr. Seuss book. LOL Glad you enjoyed the song.
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Yeah, I was not a happy camper than morning. Thankfully no one saw me running down the street like a crazy person. 😇
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If they had, Sam might have had to come visit you in West Pines. 😉
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Tippy looks exhausted that’s good 🐶🐶
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She slept good. 😉
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Funny how when some dogs get their chase on they miraculously go deaf and tunnel visioned.
https://goo.gl/images/Dtwzda
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Yes. That happens with Tippy all of the time. I’m convinced that she really doesn’t hear me she is so focused.
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