The Little Dog and the Gray Fox

Miss Blossom 7-18-14

There once was a little black and white dog who moved to the country where she went in and out of her little gray cottage to sniff in the yard and smell all the smells. Every morning and every night her owner would let her out for some exercise and her bathroom breaks. The world was full of birds and squirrels and chipmunks. Sometimes neighborhood dogs would stop by to say hello. But mostly all was peaceful and quiet.

Then one day a gray fox showed up beneath the bird feeders. Though there wasn’t much there, the fox would come every morning and every night to nibble on the scraps beneath the feeders. The bird lady who fed the birds, and the little dog’s owners liked to see the fox. It made they feel happy in their “peaceable kingdom.” But one day when the master let the little dog outside in the morning the fox was still there.

The little dog growled at the fox and looked back towards the house. The fox just stood there and stared at the dog. The master looked out the door and saw the fox just standing there. He saw the little dog just standing there. He did not like the fact that the fox did not run away when the little dog growled at it. So, the master came up with a plan.

The next night when it was dark, the master went outside and peed all around the feeder pole. He had heard this was a way that you could keep wild animals from coming into your yard. I know it seems strange, but this is the way that animals communicate with each other, and it worked! 

While the gray fox has been seen darting across the edge of the yard, it never stops to eat beneath the feeder anymore and the little dog can now go out without fear. This makes the master very happy! Meanwhile, the grass beneath the feeder has turned a lovely dark green. The nitrogen in the urine has fertilized the soil!

This is a True Story!

By Kathie Adams Brown