Family scare as fox gets in through cat flap
8:40am Monday 15th October 2012 in Latest News
Mandy Morse, Leanne Morse, Dave Fox and Rex the dog. Inset, the injured fox which was found in Mandy’s bedroom in Park South
A MUM-of-three had the shock of her life when she woke up in the middle of the night to find a fox running around her bedroom – and it wasn’t the Mr Fox she expected.
Leanne Morse, 29, of Park South, was rudely awakened by her Staffordshire bull terrier Rex, who was barking and chasing the wild animal around the house shortly after midnight on Friday.
At first glance, Leanne mistook the fox for a ginger cat but when she realised her error, she tried to get it out from under her bed with a piece of her son’s plastic toy car track.
But the fox ran straight into her eight-year-old daughter Maddie’s bedroom where it remained for the rest of the night, chewing her pencil case and Sleeping Beauty DVD and using the carpet as a toilet.
Fortunately, Maddie and her six-year-old brother Bryce had been sleeping in their older brother Corey’s bedroom while he slept at his nan’s.
Ironically, Leanne’s boyfriend is called David Fox, but this Mr Fox was certainly unwanted.
Leanne said: “I left my daughter’s bedroom door open and hoped that it would make its own way out downstairs, but that didn’t work so I changed tactics and shut it in the bedroom and opened the window, hoping it might climb out but that didn’t work either. “I went back to bed because I thought if I’m moving about it’s not going to go anywhere.
“It was quite aggressive – it was going for the car track when I was trying to push it out of my room, but when I woke up this morning I started to feel a bit sorry for it so I gave it some cat food and some water – it had chewed some of my daughters stuff and there is fox poo all over the floor, which I’ve got to clean up.”
The fox, which got in to the house through the cat flap, was rescued by John Warwick, from the Swindon and District Animal Haven, who took it to the vets because it had an injury to its head and eye.
And fortunately for Leanne, she saw the funny side to the incident the following morning.
“My boyfriend’s name is David Fox, so I text him and said ‘I’ve had one of your cousins staying the night’ and he just laughed at me.
“I have seen the fox in the garden before but it’s never been in the house, we get the odd tom cat coming in and out but never a fox. “It is quite scary really but it was lucky my daughter wasn’t in her bedroom at the time.”
Comments(36)
Oldtownmum
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11:21am Mon 15 Oct 12
PJC
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11:26am Mon 15 Oct 12
RichardR1 wrote:Definitely not a good idea! Especially if it gets released. It'll associate humans as a source of food and do the same thing again!
Not a good idea to feed the fox.
RichardR1
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12:06pm Mon 15 Oct 12
Fox's are rarely aggressive to people unless frightened and cornered, they will always run if they can.
Davey Gravey
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12:30pm Mon 15 Oct 12
RichardR1 wrote:That's because you are stupid and have this crazy idea about Staffordshire Bull Terriers. Handing it over to Warwick isn
Oldtownmum, when I saw the photo before reading the article I thought the same thing.
Fox's are rarely aggressive to people unless frightened and cornered, they will always run if they can.
Davey Gravey
says...
12:30pm Mon 15 Oct 12
RichardR1 wrote:That's because you are stupid and have this crazy idea about Staffordshire Bull Terriers. Handing it over to Warwick isn
Oldtownmum, when I saw the photo before reading the article I thought the same thing.
Fox's are rarely aggressive to people unless frightened and cornered, they will always run if they can.
Davey Gravey
says...
12:30pm Mon 15 Oct 12
RichardR1 wrote:That's because you are stupid and have this crazy idea about Staffordshire Bull Terriers. Handing it over to Warwick isn
Oldtownmum, when I saw the photo before reading the article I thought the same thing.
Fox's are rarely aggressive to people unless frightened and cornered, they will always run if they can.
Davey Gravey
says...
12:30pm Mon 15 Oct 12
RichardR1 wrote:That's because you are stupid and have this crazy idea about Staffordshire Bull Terriers. Handing it over to Warwick isn
Oldtownmum, when I saw the photo before reading the article I thought the same thing.
Fox's are rarely aggressive to people unless frightened and cornered, they will always run if they can.
Davey Gravey
says...
12:30pm Mon 15 Oct 12
RichardR1 wrote:That's because you are stupid and have this crazy idea about Staffordshire Bull Terriers. Handing it over to Warwick isn
Oldtownmum, when I saw the photo before reading the article I thought the same thing.
Fox's are rarely aggressive to people unless frightened and cornered, they will always run if they can.
Highworth Lad
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12:32pm Mon 15 Oct 12
Davey Gravey
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12:33pm Mon 15 Oct 12
Oldtownmum
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12:59pm Mon 15 Oct 12
Davey Gravey
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1:10pm Mon 15 Oct 12
Oldtownmum wrote:Sensationalist rubbish. Do some proper research on the breed from reputable sources.
Staffies have the reputation for a reason! Any person who has a staffie in their house with a child is asking for trouble. They are a vicious breed who seem to be programmed wrong. There is something inherently nasty about them. Time they were banned for the sake of responsible dog owners and parents who don't want to risk being attacked by one in the park.
MissO
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1:34pm Mon 15 Oct 12
as for foxes - she did the right and kind thing. John Warwick is the right man to call for the job as the fox was seen by the vet will be cared for and released.
MissO
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2:30pm Mon 15 Oct 12
Staffiesaregreat!
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5:09pm Mon 15 Oct 12
jimmys lovechild
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7:15pm Mon 15 Oct 12
Itssomewheretowork
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7:21pm Mon 15 Oct 12
itsamess3
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8:10pm Mon 15 Oct 12
John Warwick is at the very least a committed saviour of animals of many types against the odds. I and many speak highly of his efforts despite very difficult circumstances and severe lack of finance and help.
The voluntary section have rallied around him as he above all does his very best for any animal brought to him despite severe illness he suffers.
Those with perfect health and finance have never achieved the success this man and his small band of volunteers have achieved--that should tell you how commited he is.
Ms B Swindon
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9:53pm Mon 15 Oct 12
Oldtownmum wrote:Get a grip on yourself woman. I'd love to set my staffies on you, but all you'd get would be a very wet face from their licks. Not everyone trains their dogs to be aggressive. You can see their dog is a family dog. Do not be drawn into the media prejudice against staffies. Try thinking for yourself and if you don't have a staffie or know someone who does then your opinion really isn't valid.
I'd be more worried about the staffie in the house than the fox. Poor thing was probably terrified and lucky not to be ripped apart.
Ms B Swindon
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9:57pm Mon 15 Oct 12
Oldtownmum wrote:I fear for children who's parents are so ignorant. Time they were sterilised to avoid passing on the stupid, dumb, I can't think for myself gene to poor innocent children. I don't ever want to risk meeting one of these ignorant people for fear I might just point out how stupid they are.
Staffies have the reputation for a reason! Any person who has a staffie in their house with a child is asking for trouble. They are a vicious breed who seem to be programmed wrong. There is something inherently nasty about them. Time they were banned for the sake of responsible dog owners and parents who don't want to risk being attacked by one in the park.
timt1964
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10:00pm Mon 15 Oct 12
Highworth Lad wrote:foxes are not vermin,just the idiots who think they are.they have just as much right as us to live on this planet so get your family to lock you in the cellar again.come out when you can add something decent to the discussion.good on john warwick for taking the fox in,closed down or not at least he bothered.
Sod the fox, should of set the dog on it, foxes are nothing but vermin and should be culled.
CynicRealist
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6:32am Tue 16 Oct 12
Too many people in swindon determine what's vermin and what isn't, not according to what they are or do, but how cuddly they are.
(I could think of a few councillors we could add to the list!)
RichardR1
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8:44am Tue 16 Oct 12
Unfair or not you only have to read these pages to know which dog is featured almost exclusively in Swindon when their is an attack on another dog or person.
It is also a fact even admitted by the Staffie Owners Association that they have an inherent dislike of other breeds and will pro-actively attack. But I am sure he would just have licked the fox to death had he caught it.
danielle259
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9:17am Tue 16 Oct 12
Oldtownmum wrote:there are not bad dogs just bad owners , we have a staffie with my sister and her 3 kids and hes wonderful. remember its how a dog i brought up not the breed, a husky is difficult to train and live with kids if not brought up right but some are same with all dogs. its people like you that make others think they are, try working at a rescue center and you will see. not being rude but this is from experiences.
Staffies have the reputation for a reason! Any person who has a staffie in their house with a child is asking for trouble. They are a vicious breed who seem to be programmed wrong. There is something inherently nasty about them. Time they were banned for the sake of responsible dog owners and parents who don't want to risk being attacked by one in the park.
Davey Gravey
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9:26am Tue 16 Oct 12
RichardR1 wrote:Utter rubbish again robfm. If a fox entered any dogs home it would react.the breed is irrelevant. Staffordshire bull terriers don't even feature in most attacks on people. Ask the postmen,ask the dogs trust, rspca, blue cross, battersea dogs home, etc, etc. Shame on you robfm. Shame on you
I do find it rather ironic that those who have defended Staffies as misunderstood lovely cuddly dogs, then proceed to attack others in the stereo typical way, Staffie owners are generally perceived.
Unfair or not you only have to read these pages to know which dog is featured almost exclusively in Swindon when their is an attack on another dog or person.
It is also a fact even admitted by the Staffie Owners Association that they have an inherent dislike of other breeds and will pro-actively attack. But I am sure he would just have licked the fox to death had he caught it.
MissO
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11:08am Tue 16 Oct 12
rolaren
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11:48am Tue 16 Oct 12
PJC wrote:PJ & R1, I think you both under estimate the intelligent of the fox. Even if there is food from humans, they still prefer to catch their own and certainly do not get habituated to human contact.
RichardR1 wrote:Definitely not a good idea! Especially if it gets released. It'll associate humans as a source of food and do the same thing again!
Not a good idea to feed the fox.
Regarding their intelligence, this fox was injured and for the first time decided to enter a human dwelling, where it was eventually rescued and taken for treatment!
MissO
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1:22pm Tue 16 Oct 12
Jayne35
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4:07pm Tue 16 Oct 12
RichardR1
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7:06pm Tue 16 Oct 12
Davey Gravey
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8:14pm Tue 16 Oct 12
RichardR1 wrote:Troll? Corrected your vicious sensationalist rubbish more like. Sod off to pompey and do us all a favour you repulsive cretin
What a boring troll you are Davey Gravey, trying to take over from 1 2 or Mr Itsamess3 are we.
RichardR1
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10:32am Wed 17 Oct 12
Jayne35
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11:53am Wed 17 Oct 12
Davey Gravey
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12:16pm Wed 17 Oct 12
RichardR1 wrote:And you call me a troll? You are an attention seeking moron. Universally despised by all. And a proven liar and fraud.
Temper Temper, I'm not going to pompey. Nothing sensationalist about stating that attacks by Staffies are prevalent.
RichardR1
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8:21am Fri 19 Oct 12
RichardR1 says...
10:03am Mon 15 Oct 12