by Ben Fogle
‘I am glad,’ said the old lady. ‘Do you think we should check on the fox too?’
Minnah nodded and led the way into the garden. Mr Dog scampered out in front of her.
Ferdy yawned and opened his eyes. Finding himself surrounded by people he jumped, spooked. ‘Mr Dog?’ he whined. ‘Is everything all right?’
‘I think it’s going to be,’ said Mr Dog.
‘Sure. For everyone except me,’ said Ferdy. ‘I can’t stay here. Humans are too confusing! It’s time I left.’
With that, the fox turned and slunk away into the night.
‘Foxes may act tame sometimes,’ Minnah mused. ‘But they’ll always be wild at heart.’
‘Yes, they will,’ muttered Mr Dog. ‘Hmmm. Perhaps, somehow, I need to get Ferdy to remember that!’
Chapter Ten
WILD AT HEART
The sun was rising as the vet finished checking Shelly and gave her a clean bill of health.
‘I’ve heard of gulls stealing tortoises from gardens if they’re desperate enough,’ she said. ‘They drop them from a height to try to break them open. Shelly and Crawly were lucky that the gull couldn’t fly well or high. That’s all that saved them.’
‘That and a brave fox and a mighty dog!’ chirped Shelly.
The vet gave Mr Dog a final check-up too. ‘I believe that this paw is healed,’ she said. ‘Are you going to keep him?’
‘You know I take in a lot of strays. I look after them for as long as they need me.’ Minnah smiled. ‘Something tells me that no one gets to keep this dog!’
Mr Dog held up his healed paw to Minnah, and she took it for a gentle handshake. She had been a lovely pet human, but he knew she understood: he was a hound who could never be happy in one place. Not when there was such a big world to explore, and other animals who might need his help.
I suppose I’m a little bit wild at heart myself, thought Mr Dog.
The vet stayed to help the wildlife response team carefully catch the injured herring gull and her chick. Mr Dog watched to be sure they were both all right, and then, quietly, slipped away.
He roamed the streets of the city, back sticking to the shadows, sniffing about for Ferdy’s trail. It’s a good job foxes have such a strong scent, he thought.
But soon he realised where the smell-trail was leading him – straight back to Ryan’s new neighbourhood!
Oh, no, thought Mr Dog. Surely Ferdy can’t be going back to Ryan after what happened last night?
Mr Dog waited in the square park, out of sight in some bushes, keeping an eye on Ryan’s house. The building was quiet and empty.
Hours passed and night fell. Then Ryan’s van drove up and parked outside. Ryan got out and went through his red front door.
‘Oh, no!’ Mr Dog whimpered. ‘What if Ryan has taken Ferdy far away again?’
He started forward from the bushes, ready to give the van a good sniffing. Yes… sure enough, he could smell Ferdy! The smell was getting stronger…
‘Hello, Mr Dog!’ Ferdy poked his head out from underneath the van. ‘Fancy seeing you here!’
Mr Dog gave a big doggy grin of relief. ‘Hello to you too,’ he said. ‘But I did not fancy seeing you here.’
‘Sorry to surprise you,’ said Ferdy with a grin. ‘I was hiding behind a tree and saw you sneaking over, so I came to meet you!’
‘You really shouldn’t stay this close to Ryan, you know. That part of your life has ended.’
‘I know it has,’ said Ferdy brightly. ‘I came here to start another life…’
‘With ME!’ The next moment, Vix pushed her head out from under the van beside him, her single fang gleaming in the moonlight. ‘I’ve wanted a mate to hang around with for ages.
I reckon Ferdy and I will get along pretty well!’
‘I think so too!’ Ferdy nipped her playfully on the nose. ‘We’re going to leave this part of town and find a new place – just Vix and me.’
Vix nodded happily. ‘We might even have cubs some day!’
‘Well, I think a fresh start sounds like the perfect plan… For me too!’ Mr Dog sat and held up a paw in farewell. ‘I must find a new place, and new adventures. But one day I shall come back and see how you’re getting on. Yes, I shall.’ As he padded away, he looked back and gave his biggest doggy grin. ‘You’re not a faraway fox any more, Ferdy. From now on, you’re a close-together fox – and you’ll stay that way for always!’
Notes from the Author
A few years ago I found a tortoise in my back garden. I had no idea how it could have got there. The garden walls were too high for it to climb over them and it certainly couldn’t have burrowed underneath. It was a mystery until I suddenly realised it must have been carried in by a fox.
Foxes are always on the look out for a tasty snack and will eat almost anything (even if a tortoise is just a bit too crunchy!). Having rescued the poor tortoise, I decided I should do my best to help so I put up a ‘Lost Tortoise’ notice and, luckily, found the owner. He lived miles away, and it turned out the tortoise had been missing for years. He was thrilled but very surprised to see it again! I hoped the poor tortoise hadn’t been carried around by the fox for all that time.
Foxes are amazing animals (the grey fox in North America can even climb trees). You can find them all over the world and they live not just in the countryside but also in towns and cities where they bring the wildness of nature right into the heart of our urban streets. I can spend hours watching them. For example, just take a look at their tails (known as brushes) – not only do they use them for balance (jumping over garden walls) but they will also use them to keep warm when the weather turns cold and to signal to other foxes. If you are lucky you might sometimes see in a garden or park or by a railway line at night a family of fox cubs at play. They are beautiful to watch.
Even though you certainly have to be careful if you have guinea pigs, rabbits or chickens (or a tortoise) when there are foxes around I like to think we can all try to live together in peace. Just remember, never give them food and keep the lid tightly closed on your dustbin!
Have you read Mr Dog’s other adventures?
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