The Fox and The Hound is not only the title of a feel-good animated family movie — it's the start of what might have been a horror scene for a Heritage Lakes couple and their pet dog.
Around 11 p.m. on Tuesday night, Julie Block let Shena, her seven-year-old Lhasa Apso-Shih Tzu cross, out briefly to do its business. After several minutes, she realized that the dog hadn't wanted to come back in yet.
“We heard an odd noise,” Block began, recalling the sequence of events. “It was something out of the ordinary. We sat there for a minute trying to place it, and then we heard our daughter scream.”
“I took off. As soon as I ran out, it just ran with her.”
It was dark but she saw a shape with a big fluffy tail and a pointed face, one she'd seen before.
It was a fox. The wild animal was trying to drag the five-kilogram lap dog off by its head.
Since they don't have any fencing in the front, they always keep her leash on. That — and the sudden appearance of Julie — forced the potential predator to let go and make its escape.
She and husband Brent figure that it's the fence in the back that is the source of the problem.
Their house has a concrete swale runoff drain traversing the grass from the front to the back along the green space of Levasseur Road. As it empties out in behind, there is a gap of about 20 centimetres between the ground and the bottom of the fence.
It's a tight fit, but the Blocks have seen many rabbits squeeze through, although this interloper is a recent phenomenon. It has never made any trouble before and certainly nothing as serious as this.
“This year, we've noticed the fox. All the time that we've had [Shena], she's always gone out into the yard,” Block said, considering the potential threat. “We've thought about it and we've never been worried about it.”
In fact, they've never heard of any of their neighbours' pets having any trouble with foxes, coyotes or any other wild creatures.
Neither has Leah Jackson, manager of the city's environment office.
“I've never heard of a dog being attacked by a fox or a coyote. I have heard people call and say that a fox or a coyote has been around their neighbourhood and their dogs have barked at them. This is the first I've heard. It's very unusual.”
She added that foxes don't even generally attack other domestic animals, including cats. They are solitary and smart but prefer rodents, and there are lots of mice in the fields around the area.
Block has one theory that it might have to do with the construction of Anthony Henday Drive in the city's southwest. The ring road has thrown a lot of wildlife for a loop, she said.
“Everything is so disturbed, everywhere. I think it's causing them to be on the move a little bit more. They're a little bit out of sorts as well and they're not sure where they should be going, and because we're on the green belt, of course, it's kind of a thru-way for them too.”
As for Shena, the Blocks rushed her to the emergency animal hospital in downtown Edmonton. A few stitches on the top of her skull did the trick. The bite on the bottom of her jaw was more serious and came close to hitting a major blood vessel.
Still, she's recovering back home with more appreciation of what might be lurking in the shadows.
So are the Blocks. They plan on introducing some chicken wire to their fence to limit the gap that any animals can get through. Brent will also be setting up a fox trap that he borrowed from Alberta Fish and Wildlife.
If you experience problematic wild animals in your area, please call the Alberta Fish and Wildlife office at 780-427-3574.
