The foxes in my back garden feel safe enough to sleep on their backs - enjoying the sun on their bellies

@christymarx I feel very lucky to have so many foxes living right outside my window

@rufustheduck nice fox!

@rufustheduck how long before the dog fox becomes a fox dog?

@peterbrown they're definitely working on it

@rufustheduck Dog hardware running cat software

@rufustheduck

what if i tickled this tummy?

(just joking around, i will not tickle any of your cute foxes...)

@peachfront now I want to as well!

@rufustheduck if not friend, why friend shaped?

@Nazani i must say Midsomer Murders is the reason i know what fox screaming sounds like 🫣

@rufustheduck

@catbrainz an excellent question. Maybe I should investigate....

@rufustheduck we’ve had some local foxes and if our dogs leave a toy outside they take them to the field next door and shred them.

@rufustheduck I will never understand why we didn't try to domesticate the Fox.

@rufustheduck why the fuck is a fox living in this suburban devastation of nature thriving more than most people? Your world is crumbling, your habitat shattered? How dare you frolic!

Bet that fox doesn’t even pay taxes…

@Michigander they're tidying up for you

@BackFromTheDud don't worry - apparently they're in the process of domesticating themselves

@Crovanian he's happy because he just finished his tax return

@rufustheduck Not while there are stupid fucks in red jackets in the UK. #HuntTheHunters #StopFoxHunting

@rufustheduck

Exposing vitals by any animal a sign of trust.

@BackFromTheDud @rufustheduck There is a Russian domesticated fox; the domestic silver fox. It took modern knowledge of genetics, animal husbandry and breeding facility arrangement to pull it off.

Two traits of animals that usually bode poorly for domestication is if they are solitary (because then you can't co-opt any natural instincts for trying to fit into a hierarchy to get the animal to follow orders - and often, solitary animals are also a lot more shy, because they don't have safety in numbers), and if they won't mate if they're confined or being watched. And, well, foxes tick both boxes. Wolves don't, so they were a lot easier for Paleolithic animal breeders to work with.

(Cats apparently self-domesticated. Human settlements attract cat prey and humans like having cats around to kill pests, so cats that tolerated human proximity had a selective advantage over cats that didn't.)

@rufustheduck

This is a Very nice series of posts/pics on foxes! I know nothing about them & it's kind of cute that they play/interact with one another like dogs. Thanks for sharing & Well Done