Original Article: https://blog.theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/rescue-fox-and-bulldog-friends/

I’m sure that you have seen the Disney movie The Fox and the Hound. It seems as if that movie has now been brought to life after a six-month-old fox was rescued by Pauline Ashanolla.

The fox, that Pauline named Marley, became a part of the home. She wasn’t sure how the dogs would react at first, especially considering they were different species.

“I was worried about Marley at first and how she would get on with the dogs especially. Ernie was terrified of Marley at first and she didn’t like him but she slowly started sleeping closer to him,” she told the Daily Mail.

Once the animals got together, however, they formed a very tight bond.

They started playing together at about three weeks, and then one day, she said that they were running around together and have been together ever since.

“They do everything together, they’re inseparable,” she added to DailyMail. “They play with each other all day, they sleep together every night, they go for walks together.”

Ashanolla is from the Isle of Wight in England and she has always loved animals. Marley was the most recent addition to her community of critters. Since she wasn’t able to find an animal rescue nearby, the rescuers brought the fox home to Ashanolla who cared for Marley in the best way she could.

She shared in a post that Marley was in poor condition when they found her. She wrote that Marley was, “riddled with creepy crawlies. Ticks, flees & their eggs all over!!” Ashanolla further recalled to DailyMail, “She was throwing up worms, really big ones, they were longer than her. She definitely would have died if she’d been found just 15 minutes later.”

The little fox was nursed back to health for the next six weeks with a syringe used to feed the fox kitten milk every 90 minutes around-the-clock. Medical attention was also needed for the treatment of worms and ticks.

She didn’t get better right away and it became obvious that she would need much more medication. Ashanolla got a lot of help from vets and fox rescues, but it still is a large commitment to have her in the home.

“I’m very tired,” she added, according to DailyMail. “She has aged me about 10 years and I had to give up my dream job because this little fox came along but it’s all been worth it to see her so happy and healthy.”

Ashanolla loves the fact that two of the animals in her home bonded so closely. If she takes Ernie, the dog, for a walk, Marley gets excited when they come home.

“I call Ernie Marley’s babysitter, he’s my little nanny dog. If I need to get something done or I’m a bit tired, I’ll tell him ‘go and play with your little sister,’” she shared with the outlet.

“It’s so nice seeing how well they’ve bonded, it’s quite an unusual friendship,” she added.

You can follow along Marley’s journey on Instagram.

Source: The Animal Rescue Site Blog