A perfectly healthy fox at Irwin Park has been sunning itself along the Flexi-pave path back of Gores Pavilion, prompting Animal Control authorities to urge visitors to hold their dog leashes tightly and mind the longer, retractable ones.
The fox sunning itself along the main path at Irwin Park on Monday, Nov. 10, 2014. Credit: Stephanie Radman
That’s because larger dogs spotting the fox likely will lunge at it—possibly breaking free of leashes—and could chase and scrap with the small animal.
Animal Control Officer Maryann Kleinschmitt said she approached the fox on the path this week and “was able to get within two or three feet of the animal before it got up and ran off.”
“I followed it into a brushy area and it’s a very healthy fox, no sign of mange,” Kleinschmitt said. “The problem is not the fox. It’s not going to go after a dog or people, it’s just sunning. The problem will be that if a dog does get loose there could be a confrontation.”
Here we see the fox in the woods at Irwin after walking across the lawn and footpath there, on Saturday, Nov. 8, 2014. Credit: Stephanie Radman
Kleinschmitt said she tracked the animal to a private property off of the southwest corner of Irwin that includes a pond, advising a resident there not to feed the animal. Kleinschmitt said that ultimately, she hopes the fox will move along from Irwin.
The worry with a fox-versus-dog confrontation is that both will end up injured, she said: The dog will end up bitten and the fox, if it’s injured badly enough but not fatally, will create a greater problem because it could get sick.
This fox must have a cousin, who came running down Oak Street this past Sunday at 6:30AM. My dog and I were in the front yard and the fox did an immediate U-turn when s/he saw us. I expect this one lives in the cemetery, which is quite close by. This is my first fox sighting at this address in the 39 years I’ve lived here.