Don’t forget the scratches!

I tend to forget how interesting what I do actually is. Sometimes it’s easy to get so caught up in a “routine” that we forget how exciting our everyday lives can be. This happened to me a few weeks ago and I recently was reminded of it.

Licorice is a silver fox that came in from a fur farm. Because of an injury, she had to have one of her front legs amputated but that hasn’t stopped her from being active! Silver foxes are a “melanistic form” of red foxes. This just means that although they’re the same species, they have a unique color variation not typical for the rest of the species.

While I was helping a newer volunteer clean out the foxes, he mentioned that they made him a little nervous. He hadn’t been there for very long, and foxes tend to be on the animals that people get a little cautious around when starting out at the rehab center. So it was completely understandable.

While I don’t throw caution to the wind around the animals, I do tend to feel pretty comfortable around them. Some of that is time, I’ve been volunteering at Hoo Haven for three years now, but part of it is also just these are my people. Some days, I really feel like I understand the foxes and other critters better than I understand my own (human) family (and by some days I of course mean most days).

The first fox pen has two foxes. The younger one came in with an injury requiring surgery and is making a speedy recovery. She’ll hopefully be released back into the wild soon. The other is an adult named Digger who has been with us since she was quite young. Because of some eye issues, she isn’t eligible for release so she’ll live out her life serving as a surrogate to other foxes before their release.

The young one is pretty skittish and runs off whenever someone comes into the enclosure but Digger usually doesn’t. She’s somewhat social with humans, generally picking out the people she knows and likes and playing with them. With me, she likes to have her chest scratched. So of course, one of the first things I do is go over to her, say hi, and start scratching her chest just the way she likes.

Then I was called “awesome” by the newer volunteer for being so comfortable with her to do this. I just laughed, explained that I’d known her since she was a baby, and assured him that it just takes time to get to know the animals. It’s one of the great things about being a regular volunteer at a rehab center. You get special privileges with the animals. Not because the staff allow it, but because the critters do.

Check out my website for more of my other adventures and photography at www.cyrenekrey.com! Also, be sure to follow my new adventure project on Instagram at www.instagram.com/therenegademermaid! I’m a small business owner, so your support is always valued 🙂