Urban Foxes

Matt saw one on our street the other day, which is unusual as we are in a very built up area where none of the houses even have back gardens, and right next to the seafront. Maybe it was a sea fox.

I don't really see this as a problem as such. Go foxes, says I (I put out some left-over cheesy pasta last night, after I saw the old fox over the fence).

I can't believe nobody helped you with that injured fox Nick

I know. I think it was being pissed off with everyone that gave me the courage to pick the thing up (cos I'm a lightweight with handling beasties normally). It was actually pretty docile though, but that was probably shock.

Since it’s the breeding season the dog fox will shadow the every move of the vixen, she is only receptive for a period of about 3 days. From the dog fox's point of view he must ensure he is there when she is ready. Several attempts to mount the vixen will be rebuffed, sometimes quite aggressively. However, when she is ready she flirts around the dog fox. Caution at this stage is thrown to the wind, and many people will observe the foxes in the process of mating. When the vixen is ready the dog fox will grasp her from behind with his front two legs and start to mate. It is said that at this point the dog fox’s penis is not totally erect until he has actually entered the vagina, when it becomes completely erect and the base of it begins to swell. Also, the vixen's vagina will constrict. This swelling and constriction will cause the pair to lock together, commonly called the 'tie'. When the dog fox ejaculates he attempts to dismount, but as they are still locked together he brings one of his back legs over the vixen’s back and there they stand, back to back, for the duration of the tie, possible for hours.

No barbs anywhere, and appears to be more painful for the male fox than the female.

so really it should be called 'foxing' not 'dogging'

The nearest I've been is when a friend of mine used to work at the driving range doing security at night. Over a couple of years he managed to befriend and eventually hand-feed a couple of young foxes.

I wonder what happened to the foxes after he died, not everyone likes to encourage them.

Hmmm, I don't see foxes as being particularly unhygenic creatures. So they apart the odd bin bag, but maybe people shouldn't leave their rubbish on street so much. And sure, there's the odd outbreak of mange every now and again, but most of the urban foxes you see seem to be in pretty good nick. I think that a lot of what they eat consists of mice and rats and pigeons, so they're probably doing quite a service.

Noise-wise, it sounds like it's just a seasonal thing (and all the posts here complaining about it are from late December/early January!), so if it's any consolation, it won't go on for very long.

Or maybe I could borrow your ears sometimes so as to not be annoyed by their hideous hyena-like shrieking ever again.

But Steve, it's the call of the wild!

I suppose there is an argument that says that it's the cats and dogs that shouldn't really be there, so I wouldn't totally blame the foxes for that. Anyhow - tried earplugs?

ooh good tip...

I suppose there is an argument that says that it's the cats and dogs that shouldn't really be there

you mean people should never have domesticated cats and dogs? but then they'd be running wild as well, or maybe extinct. from a territorial point of view they were there 'first'. my neighbours dogs are fucked up anyway though - they run out into the garden every morning at 6.30am and yap their heads off, seemingly for no reason at all - and again several times through the day. i think fox scent is a big factor in this but the other one is they are complete mentalists.

earplugs are uncomfortable and do not block the sound properly (as they seem to be designed more to block nearer, quieter sounds rather than more distant loud ones).

basically the two combined are making me quite tense at night and i lose sleep because of all the noise. it's no fun.

I respect their trolling skills. There's one that just stares from the railway embankment behind out house, impassive, as my dog winds himself up yelling at him.

Our dog (very territorial, very barky, self-styled snarling bane of all foxes) apparently went out for a pee while this scene was playing out and just straight up didn't notice it was sitting there

We had a fox hanging out in our backyard for a few days, hiding under bushes and rolling in the grass. At one point he came out when the cat and I were in the yard, and he seemed more intimidated by the cat's display of aggression than by mine.