FACT: Foxes are friggin cute.
I was doing some late-night scrolling when I nearly dropped my phone on my face BECAUSE a fox sanctuary I follow was offering private encounters.
I immediately booked the next available encounter as the 8-year-old inside me screamed.
1. The JAB Canid Education and Conservation Center is located in a remote location in some mountains near San Diego, so I was in for a scenic ride.
2. Getting there was like driving through the first season of True Detective.
3. When I finally got there, I heard howls the second I got out of the car. Wait, do foxes howl?
4. SURPRISE! Turns out foxes aren't the only whiskered BBs that live here, and the howling came from the New Guinea Singing Dogs. Nice.
5. The actual fox encounter happens outside in a closed-off space. I sat there trying not to cry as each fox was presented to me like a little gift.
6. They're legit as mischievous as their reputation suggests.
7. Is it just me, or do foxes smell like Jell-O?
8. They're snack motivated just like me!
9. Yes, you can pet them like dogs.
10. You can definitely boop their snoots.
11. AND, MOST IMPORTANTLY, you can hold them like babies. ( ɵ̥̥ ˑ̫ ɵ̥̥)
･*✧:･ﾟ* After I finally had to say goodbye, I had no idea how I got home because I literally blacked out from joy. Spending time making friends with animals you'd otherwise only meet in the wilderness is an incredible grounding experience. It reminded me how connecting to the wild can make you connect to deeper parts of yourself. ･ﾟ*✧*:･ﾟ*
