[title]
Meet our new favorite YouTube personalities: There’s the cellphone-stealing Dixie and the totally-chill Bongo. And then there’s the chattering Finnegan, whose melt-your-heart squeals and starved-for-affection smile almost make up for the fact that he insists on peeing on everything when he sneaks inside.
They’re all domestic foxes, and they’re all residents at SaveAFox, a rescue in Faribault, Minnesota, about 50 miles south of Minneapolis. As Minnesotans have been staying at home, the sanctuary has been faced with fewer volunteers. But founder Mikayla Raines has continued to share uplifting, enthusiastic dispatches that are equal parts educational and squee-inducing entertainment. And some that are just pure canine comedy.
Raines, who’s been working with foxes for the past decade, has been sharing a behind-the-scenes video nearly every day of training sessions and playtime. You’ll learn all about the different species of foxes (arctic foxes are short and fluffy with thick coats, grey foxes are small cat-life climbers and red foxes are large and dog-like) and catch some cameos from a cat, skunk or mink along the way. And you’ll also watch a pair of female foxes screaming at each other.
But most importantly, you’ll fall head-over-paws in love with Finnegan, the breakout star of SaveAFox’s YouTube channel. Finn’s incessant high-pitched “hehehes” and his insatiable appetite for chin scratches are only outdone by his sad-eyed mugging in Raines’s window, begging for his human mom to come outside.
Finnegan’s, erm, tagging reinforces a pretty important point: Foxes don’t make suitable pets for the average person. Some of the canine residents at SaveAFox arrived there because their previous owners thought they’d make for cute pets but quickly realized they couldn’t care for them. And others are fur farm rescues—foxes that could never go out into the wild because they’ve never lived in the wild to begin with. The sanctuary does offer fox adoptions, but only to qualified applicants (whom Raines describes as “responsible, caring people who take the time to research and take all the proper steps to be able to adopt”); there’s a $500 adoption fee and a two-week waiting period to fend off impulse buys.
If you’re not equipped to care for a fox but will still give anything to help out those smooshy, handsome faces, you can donate directly to SaveAFox, sponsor a resident, buy a few items on its Amazon wish list or pick up some merch. Raines also recommends donating to or volunteering at your nearest wildlife rehabilitation center. And, eventually, when life starts to return to normal, you’ll be able to get your Finnegan Fox fix IRL when SaveAFox resumes tours.
Most popular on Time Out
– McDonald’s is giving out free French fries every Friday through the end of June
– A new bill would require all airlines to give you a refund even if you’re the one canceling your flight
– This Michelin-starred restaurant will fill its empty seats with mannequins
– According to Google, the Old Fashioned is America's favorite quarantine cocktail
– Exciting news: Walt Disney World is now selling park passes for July 1 entries