A real life Disney classic: Rosie the fox and Maddy the terrier become unlikely friends after cub is abandoned by her mother
- Rosie, a 15-week old cub, was abandoned when father killed her siblings
- She and Lakeland Patterdale cross Maddy have become firm friends
- Maddy's owners are training Rosie at their home in the Berwyn mountains
By HELEN LAWSON
|
It could be a scene from Disney classic The Fox and the Hound.
Rosie, a 15-week-old fox cub, was left abandoned when her father killed most of her litter before the cubs had opened their eyes for the first time.
Now she has formed a firm friendship with terrier Maddy, a Lakeland Patterdale cross, at the home of her owner Richard Bowler in Wales, despite the two creatures being natural enemies.
Rosie the fox cub and Maddy the terrier have become firm friends, even snoozing together at the North Wales home of Maddy's owner Richard Bowler
The pair do not usually share a bed because of their difference in size but Maddy's owner Richard Bowler hopes that could change when Rosie gets bigger
The pair have the run of Mr Bowler's five-acre estate in Corwen, North Wales, including this venture in to the vegetable patch
The four-legged friends have plenty of energy and like to chase each other around vegetable patch
The friends have separate feeding times so they don't fight but are trained together with treats
The pair indulge in rough and tumble while Mr Bowler, 44, and his girlfriend Helen, 41, try to teach Rosie a few tricks so she can settle in at their home in the Berwyn mountains near Corwen, North Wales.
Mr Bowler said: 'Nothing is known about what happened to Rosie's mum. All we know is that her dad went rogue and she was the only survivor and was hand-reared before her eyes had even opened.
'Rosie was slowly introduced to Maddy. Maddy has always been playful and it's a natural instinct for a fox cub to play so they get on great.
'They have become best of friends, although we always supervise them playing together as Rosie is still quite small.
Maddy and Rosie are reminiscent of Disney classic The Fox and The Hound, where Tod the fox and Copper the hunting dog become firm friends despite being natural enemies
Mr Bowler and his girlfriend Helen are training Rosie with a little help from their terrier Maddy
Rosie, posing in front of a portrait of a fox, has made herself at home at the Bowler residence
Although she rests and dozes around the house, Rosie sleeps in a crate at night to stop her chewing through the television's wires
'They chase each other around and Rosie often dives on Maddy. The living room is usually a wreck after they have been playing.'
Mr Bowler, a wildlife photographer, and his girlfriend moved to the area last year from Bedfordshire to run a holiday home in Blaenau Ffestiniog.
Now they've acquired a new friend in Rosie while Maddy pitches in to help show the fox cub what to do. Most importantly, the cub has already learned to sit nicely to earn a treat.
Maddy's owner Richard Bowler, with his pet terrier at his feet and Rosie in his arms, is trying to house train the cub
The pair create 'destruction' while they play together, according to Maddy's owner Mr Bowler
Despite the differences in their size, the pair indulge in good-natured play tussles around the house and grounds
Rosie's slight build helps her get the better of Maddy in the battle for the tennis ball as she looks to run away
'I feel it's important that Rosie has a good bond with Maddy as when it comes to training Maddy shows Rosie what is required,' Mr Bowler said.
'Rosie is very quick to pick things up though.
'I've been amazed at how clever she is, certainly quicker to pick up things than Maddy ever was. Her recall and sitting is 100 per cent and we're almost there with toilet training.
Rosie is only 15 weeks old but has already lost all of her siblings when their father attacked and killed them. It is not known what happened to her mother
Rosie is quicker at picking up her training than Maddy the terrier was, Mr Bowler said
Rosie moves in on a plant as she explores her new home in the Berwyn mountains
Mr Bowler's five-acre estate near Corwen, North Wales, has plenty of space for Rosie to roam
'They don't sleep together, we have a large dog crate in the living room for Rosie that has her bed in it. We only put her in her crate at night and that's just to stop her chewing through the wires of the TV.
'When she's awake the door to the crate is open allowing her access to the living room, she also has access to our fenced in patio/veg garden while we train her.
The cub is being gradually introduced to different parts of the property, starting with a fenced in patio and vegetable garden
The fox cub has almost mastered her toilet training and quickly learned to sit nicely to earn a titbit
The pair have the run of their owners' home in the Berwyn mountains near Corwen, North Wales
Maddy is helping Mr Bowler and his girlfriend Helen to train Rosie as well as being her playmate
'We will then start introducing her to our bottom paddock that we have fenced in with two inch chicken wire, this area is about an acre and we are developing it as an orchard and wildflower meadow so she will have a lovely area to run around in and play with Maddy.
'When Rosie gets bigger we hope that her and Maddy will sleep together at the moment though as soon as they are together it's just fun and games and destruction.'
Foxes and dogs may be natural enemies but nobody told Rosie and Maddy, who have formed a strong bond
Once she's had a bit more training, Rosie will be allowed to explore the orchard and meadow
She was abandoned shortly after her birth but Rosie is thriving in Maddy's company
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2370127/The-fox-hound-Rosie-fox-Maddy-terrier-unlikely-friends-cub-abandoned-mother.html#ixzz2b879kgpn
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
No comments:
Post a Comment