A Happy Tale of a Fox and a Hound

Woody is a happy-go-lucky pet. He is curious, yet when he has finished exploring the house, he can be found cuddled up in bed. Woody is not your average pet; he is a fox and he is blind. However, he is happy, well-adjusted, and has lots of animal friends. Here is a tale of a fox and a hound, and unlike the famous 1967 novel The Fox and the Hound, this story has a happy ending.

Woody lives in a wildlife sanctuary in Nuneaton, some 100 miles northwest of London. His owner, Geoff Grewcock, has run the Nuneaton and Warwickshire Wildlife Sanctuary for over 20 years, according to the video on 5 News. This wildlife refuge is not a standard place. It is in Grewcock’s backyard and here he has nurtured some 70,000 sick and injured animals.

Grewcock started this sanctuary after he retired in 2001, according to BBC News. From badgers to swans and from foxes to deer, Grewcock takes all animals in, nurtures them back to health and releases them in the wild. As for Woody, Grewcock believes the fox’s parents abandoned him when they realized their baby was blind.

Woody was spotted at the side of a road by a driver and then brought to Nuneaton. Grewcock says the fox was very sick; he had more than 150 ticks on his body and had a poor prognosis for survival. Yet, Grewcock was determined to save the fox and stayed up night after night to feed him every two hours.

After Woody recovered, Grewcock moved the furniture to make it easier for Woody to navigate around the house. “The vet said he is about 90 percent blind,” Grewcock told the BBC. “So we've had to treat him just like a blind person and because of his sight, we can't release him, but he's very happy as a house fox and being with Orla and Bramble.”

Orla is a greyhound dog, Bramble is a deer, and the trio often hang out indoors together. There may be a wildlife sanctuary with many cages out in the garden, but inside it is a menagerie. 

The 17-year-old deer likes to stroll indoors, open the fridge, and often helps himself to food, according to 5 News. Bramble also likes to watch TV. An owl, who is perched in the living room, oversees all with his wise eyes. But Woody the house fox is the star of this show. “He’s just marvelous. For a fox he’s unbelievable,” Grewcock told 5 News in the video. 

Grewcock finds his work to be very meaningful. According to HarlinTV, the police and the fire brigade often call upon his wildlife sanctuary to come to the rescue. Grewcock now has volunteers and when resources run low, he will fund it with his own pension. 

Meanwhile, Orla the hound and Woody the fox have become best friends, sharing walks, naps, and playtime together. Whereas Tod the fox and Copper the bloodhound fought it out till the bitter end in The Fox and the Hound, here is a real-life remake of the tale with a most gratifying ending!

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