Firefighters Rescue ‘Puppies’—Then Realize They’re Not Puppies at All

That’s when things got interesting.

A vet at the shelter took one look at the little ones and said, “No, these aren’t Labradors, these are foxes.” The firefighter who had carried them in was completely stunned. The babies they had rescued weren’t dogs at all—they were baby red foxes!

The mix-up was understandable. The little fox kits were very young and had dark reddish-brown fur, which made them resemble Labrador puppies. But once the vet explained it, everything made more sense.

Why Foxes Were There In the First Place

According to the vet, the area where the animals were found sits near the base of the Rocky Mountains. It’s a place where wild animals like foxes are often spotted. So, while the firefighters were surprised, local wildlife experts were not.

Travis Sauder, a Wildlife Manager with Colorado Parks and Wildlife, told CBS News, “This time of year there are a lot of animals that are starting to have their young, and they have them in small dens that are places that we can encounter.” Storm drains, it turns out, are not an unusual spot for foxes to give birth in or hide their young.

What started as a rescue for abandoned puppies turned out to be something completely different—but just as important.

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Finding A Safe Place For the Little Ones

Once they knew the animals were wild foxes, the team made a plan. They returned the kits to the storm drain, hoping their mother might come back to find them. Sadly, that didn’t happen.

With the mother still missing, the tiny foxes needed special care. They were taken to The Animal Clinic of Woodland Park, a facility in Colorado that helps wild animals recover and get ready to return to nature. There, a skilled rehabber named Terri took them in and began feeding and caring for them around the clock.

“So yes, a litter of eight red fox kits was found in Colorado Springs and brought up to our great rehabber. Terri is losing sleep feeding them for hours, but so far, so good,” the clinic shared in a Facebook post.

Thanks to Terri’s dedication and the quick thinking of the firefighters and veterinarians, all eight foxes grew strong and healthy. When they were old enough to survive on their own, they were released back into the wild where they belong.

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