You must have come across these doe-eyes astoundingly gorgeous creatures in magazines, and wanted to own one of them. To be honest, the first time I laid my hands on such a picture, the first thought that came to my mind was, “ Are these real?” They looked for different from any animal I had ever seen that it had never struck my mind that you can keep one of these as your pet.

Well, now you can! Exotic though they are, they can be adopted, or rather purchased, to be exact.First things first, I must acquaint you with these strangely mythical creatures which, now that I know, actually do exist. They are called Fennec Foxes, more commonly known by the name of the ‘desert fox’. They, like dogs, are a small member of the canine family. Like dogs, they share a lot of behavioral characteristics, but since they are rarely domesticated, require cautious socialization as well as necessary precautions against escape. Now, do not be intimated about keeping a pet whose sole purpose might seem to run loose because, frankly speaking, this is not the case more often than not. Belonging to the canine family, fennec foxes, once tamed, are rewarding and more importantly, loyal.

Fennec Foxes, save for their beautiful over-sixed ears, are petite. An adult weighs about two to four pounds. One of its striking features is the soft, thick coat that is reddish and tawny on the back, and whitish on the underside. They also have some curious black markings on the back and tail.

Fennec Foxes are astute creatures. Quick and agile, they have a high pitched yelp like puppies, and are extremely cautious creatures. They are nocturnal in the wilderness, but can be adopted to the human timings if brought home at an early age. The fact that they are, like cats, extremely clean animals, and can be litter trained, if adopted at an early age. The age is an important issue when Fennec Foxes are concerned, and more often than not, owners find it difficult to tame the animal if not adopted at a very early age.

Fennec foxes are omnivores in the wilderness, their diet including s wide range of insects, rodents, plants, fruits and also reptiles. However, it is advisable to  feed it, when adopted, what-you-call a commercially wild candid diet, which will be available in pet shops where they house exotic pets. However, taking into account the fact that these are exotic animals and you might not come across any such pet shops in your area, I would advise you to provide your pet fennec with a healthy mix of dog food, cat food, fruits and vegetables. One in a blue moon, you might also want to treat your pet with an assortment of raw meat, vegetables, and necessary vitamins.

Playtime for a Fennec is nonpareil. Like Labradors, they are hyperactive and need an outlet for their energy. Like small kittens or puppies or who-am-I-kidding even babies, they are extremely inquisitive and will get into probing anything and everything.  In fact, your fancy pet can be also act like a pig at times. Do not be alarmed; I meant that Fennec foxes have quite a penchant for digging. For that matter, you must devise the outdoor enclosure cautiously to prevent them from digging under or climbing over the fence (if you were planning on a fence, that is), and trust me, they can do this gamely. The best thing to do is to bury a significant portion of the fence and turning the fence in at the top or even completely casing the enclosure to avert escape.

You might want to teach them to fetch like dogs, which will help them burn off the excess energy.  However, if you are intending to play fetch with your fennec pal, do not forget to leash him or her since they are exceptionally agile, and if they once do escape, it would be extremely knotty to recapture them. However, if you can, and I hope you will, establish a close bond with your fancy big-ears, it might just stop it from trying to escape.

Weather or rather temperature is not an issue with Fennec foxes provided they are sheltered adequately. It is true that keeping a Fennec fox will cost you quite a handful. However, if you consider the fact that they are a curious assortment of all the animals you’ve ever wanted as a pet, then I do believe that it is really worth it. To adduce this fact, let me make you aware of another Fennec characteristic  that is rather croc-like: One of the favourite activities of a Fennec fox is basking in the sun!

Well, considering all the pros and cons, and of course the astoundingly cute face, I believe that if you do intend to get one or a pair of these as pets, it would be a rather rewarding experience. Almost similar to dogs in certain character traits, Fennec foxes, especially the hand-raise pups, are generally compliant and do not resort to biting unless cornered or threatened. They are generally not apprehensive about strangers, and are quite friendly to everybody. One in a while, they might irritate your other pets but, trust me, this is because the Fennec expects them to play with him, all the time!

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One of the most naive facts that are attached to adoption agencies for pets are regarded to be false in nature. Facts of which people are unaware of generally makes one assume that such agencies work for nothing as such. This in fact is FALSE. Agencies for Pet Adoption tend to work the hardest towards spreading awareness about pets in dire need of shelter and care from foster homes and pet lovers. Such pets generally await for two consequences in their respective conditions:

1. SHELTER FROM PET LOVERS
2. DEATH

This is the hard truth. People are so oblivious to the conditions that these pets are surviving in, it is unbelievable and so shocking. Living in a supposed “developing” world wherein all are considered to be AWARE and CARING FOR ALL, it is shocking how people still carry the burden of being unknown almost every day of their lives. Such people end up spreading such false perceptions about re homing of pets to others in a way that describes these shelters and facilitating centers as being a no less than a slaughter house. This not only leads to misconceptions being formed in the minds of people around us, it even ends up making one doubt the existence of such agencies who work day in and day out towards providing for nothing but noble rehabilitation centers for pets in need of them.

WAITING FOR SOMEONE TO PICK THEM UP AND GIVE THEM A HOME

People end up becoming reluctant due to such misconceptions and thus there is an innate need to provide for the TRUTH in its totality and pure self. Truth be told: Such pets are more than keen to provide you with more love and affection despite the negative stereotypes that they carry with themselves. Being termed as “unwanted” is not what anyone would want to be feeling like, which is why we must do away with such immature and misrepresented facts AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

Some MYTHS that are carried around about PET ADOPTION AGENCIES are as follows:

MYTH #1:

 “AGENCIES WILL PROVIDE ME WITH AN UNKNOWN PET” 

This is one of the primary concern of any “about to be” pet owner that seems to crop up when wanting to adopt a furry creature. This is completely false, a research study shows that when one tries to attain a pet from an agency/shelter: MORE information is provided for against the information provided for pets by a breeder or a pet store. No matter how authenticated your pet store might be, you would never double check such stores, but consider this very fact: why would one want to let you adopt a bad specimen of a creature which in this case is a pet, despite providing you with a valid contract and all the valid legal documents ? All decent pet shelters/agencies have the provision of being able to provide you with the necessary documents that you may require in order to satisfy yourself when adopting a pet.

Even more so, such shelters contain with themselves pets who have been disowned by their ex-families due to financial issues or health related problems and if the pet that you are looking for has already been staying at the shelter for a long while you might be able to get a better background story to the pet from their previous owners/ the volunteers who have been taking care of the pets. They could provide you with the behavioral tendencies of the pet and let you know about the relevant information of the particular pet you are thinking of adopting.

 MYTH#2:

“NO PURE BRED/NO STRAY DOG = NO PET ADOPTION”

What usually one thinks when they get to know that the dog they were considering to adopt two seconds ago, that they are “stray dogs” or “non-pure breeds” is that SOMETHING MUST BE WRONG WITH THEM which is why they are living in the shelter/agency now. UNTRUE. Only because they ran away from their “MALICIOUS” masters makes them “UNRULY”. Only because they were “SEIZED” by the police for roaming about in the residential area makes them “CONTAIN EMOTIONAL PROBLEMS” which are permanent, always. Only because they were “AGGRESSIVE” after being tortured by other dogs makes them “VICIOUS”. FALSE. FALSE. FALSE.

The only thing “wrong” with such animals is that they can’t find a home with loved ones to live in.

MYTH#3:

“SHELTER PETS ALWAYS HAVE A DISEASE”

This might not be completely false. But at the very same time, it is not something that cannot be taken care of. Most of the authenticated shelters/agencies provide the owners with a NO-CHARGE VET FACILITY option or already take care of such problematic pets and will not let you hamper your own health only because they are monsters. Because they are not. A kennel cough is not something one could die of. Vaccines for diseases like DHPP (distemper, hepatitis, parvovirus, par influenza) will always be provided for, even before the adoption takes place.

MYTH#4 

“AGENCY PROVIDED PETS COME WITH BAGGAGE”

The only baggage one might face could be the amount of poop/urine that one might have to deal with – but wait, that happens when a baby comes in as well.

Trust me, when I say this, there are no differences between a pet provided for by a pet store or one adopted from an agency; if they are not pure breeds- so what? Research shows that pure breeds tend to carry more problems regarding their health than stray pets/mixed breeds. Their personalities do not differ- pure breeds might cause more trouble for you if not less in comparison to such pets. If you think they will die earlier- that’s wrong; they might live more than your Pomeranian’s and Labradors- provided you take care of them, the correct way. Treat them like pets, NORMAL PETS and get the love back that you provide them with, with an additional security aspect(with dogs).

MYTH#5

“AGENCY WILL NOT PROVIDE ME WITH WHAT I WANT”  

Emphasizing on the fact again- if you find an authenticated agency; you will find what you are looking for. Sites such as PETFINDER and PEOPLE FOR ANIMALS provide the option of searching up for the pet you are looking for at a very minimalistic price.

It may seem that the task of creating awareness over this issue is next to impossible- FALSE. FALSE. FALSE. It is possible, and agencies like PEOPLE FOR ANIMALS help provide you with the same.

When it comes to providing for an adoption agency and National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy provides you with the article regarding the very same, allowing you to understand that what you are paying for is nothing in comparison to what you might be paying at a pet store or to a breeder.

So go ahead, spread awareness- if we can adopt babies from around the world, then why not pets?

Let’s find these homeless, loving creatures a safe, healthy environment to nurture themselves in.

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