It was just a regular day for Craig McGettrick and his coworker, but little did they know they were about to stumble upon something truly special.
While cleaning up a garden, they found an old mattress that hid a delightful surprise – five tiny puppies, abandoned and alone, waiting for someone to rescue them.
They assumed someone had abandoned these poor babies, and were determined to do the right thing. Craig scooped up the little ones and placed them in a cardboard box, planning to take them to a rescue center.
But before heading out, he decided to share their adorable faces on Facebook, hoping to find help for these helpless critters.
That’s when fate stepped in. The puppies’ photos caught the attention of Martin Hemmington, who leads the National Fox Welfare Society.
It was just a matter of time before things got interesting. A woman named Beccie reached out to Martin. She couldn’t help but ask the burning question: were these adorable little creatures actually puppies, or could they be something else?
Martin took a closer look, and what he discovered completely changed the story. These tiny, helpless animals weren’t puppies at all! They were actually young fox cubs, still too small to resemble the ginger adults we’re all familiar with.
Martin was quick to confirm the surprising news, sharing in an interview:
“Beccie had sent a few photos asking if the babies in the photos were indeed fox cubs. We confirmed they certainly were. Beccie advised us that they had been taken to a rescue center… mistakenly as puppies, not fox cubs.”
Paul McDonald, known as The Fox Man, explained the whole situation:
“Fox cubs don’t initially look like foxes when they are cubs, so it’s common for people to mistake them for dog puppies. They are brown in color as opposed to the red, ginger color of adults.”
Paul further clarified that their mom likely used that old mattress as a den, leaving her cubs there while she searched for food.
Knowing that these precious babies belonged with their mom, not in a cardboard box, Paul quickly organized for someone to retrieve them from the rescue center.
Once the puppies were under his care, Paul knew exactly what to do. He gently returned them to the garden where he discovered them, adding a hot water bottle to the box to ensure they stayed warm.
Just when he began to wonder if their mama would come, there she was, moving cautiously but purposefully toward her cubs.
At first, she picked up just one cub. But as the sun started dipping down, the worried mama returned, and took them all, one by one, until the box was finally empty.
Everyone was overjoyed to hear that the cubs were finally back with their mum. Craig, Beccie, and Martin couldn’t help but smile, knowing they played a part in this incredible journey, turning what could have been a tragic end into a beautiful reunion.
Paul was especially thrilled about it, sharing:
“This is without a doubt the best kind of rescue in my line of work, when nature is allowed to take its own course.”
That’s how a surprising mix-up led to the sweetest reunion, bringing these little foxes right back where they belonged – home with their beloved mom.