Image Credit: Animal Press / Barcroft Media
A three-week-old fox cub was left stranded after his mother was killed in a road accident, but is now being raised as a happy pup under the watchful eyes of his dog mum.
Dinozzo, a wild baby fox was destined to die hungry and alone after his mother was tragically killed by a speeding car.
As he lay next to his mother’s corpse hoping she would revive, a passerby rescued the baby fox and handed him over to a vet.
The vet tended to the fox cub but couldn’t release the baby in the wild due to his tender age. Whilst he was searching for alternatives, a couple from in Oberscheld in Germany heard about the orphaned fox cub and decided to help.
Animal lovers Werner and Angelika Schmaing were so taken to Dinozzo that they took him home to add him to their brood comprising a long-haired collie dog named Ziva, a Bengal cat named Leopold, and two adopted piglets.
Dinozzo was happily welcomed by the couple’s pets and the cub spent most of his time with Ziva, who with her innate motherly skills took exceptional care to foster the cub as her own. Her attention has largely contributed to Dinozzo easily adjusting in his new surroundings.
“Our collie acts as a foster mum for the little ones,” said Werner.
Dinozzo has also found a great play pal in Leopold and they often hang out together for hours, chasing one another around the property as fast as they can.
Leopold has trained Dinozzo in some neat cat tricks.
“The fox has gotten used to getting in and out of the house through the cat’s door.
“The interaction of animals is very much like siblings in a family.
“They are mostly peaceful, often playful and sometimes tired – sleeping together in one place,” added Werner.
Although, the couple have decided to let Dinozzo “live like any other fox outside the house,” he prefers to live with his adopted family rather than going back in to the wild.
The couple are equally pleased with this arrangement.
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