Rescue dog nurses baby foxes Nurture wins over nature: Rescue dog nurses kits at LEO conservation center

A litter of North African fennec foxes cuddle with Mama, their surrogate mother, at the LEO Zoological Conservation Center in backcountry Greenwich on Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2011. Mama, an American foxhound mix from a shelter in North Carolina, nursed the newborns for five weeks after previous litters from the foxes' mother didn't survive. less A litter of North African fennec foxes cuddle with Mama, their surrogate mother, at the LEO Zoological Conservation Center in backcountry Greenwich on Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2011. Mama, an American foxhound mix ... more Photo: Helen Neafsey Photo: Helen Neafsey Image 1 of / 14 Caption Close Rescue dog nurses baby foxes 1 / 14 Back to Gallery

Call it an unlikely friendship.

Putting a foxhound and four foxes in a room together is not a situation you would expect to end well. As its name so succinctly suggests, the foxhound is bred to hunt and kill foxes.

But, as the case was at the LEO Zoological Conservation Center in Greenwich last month, nature doesn't always follow the rules.

In a most unlikely pairing of animals, an American foxhound rescue dog named Mama nursed four North African fennec foxes for five weeks at the private zoo, located in backcountry Greenwich at Lionshare Farm.

Earlier this summer, the conservation center, a nonprofit dedicated to at-risk species breeding programs and educational opportunities, enlisted the help of Greenwich-based Adopt-A-Dog in search of a surrogate mother for the four foxes, whose mother had a history of eating its young.

After weeks of networking, Mama and her six puppies were located in a high-kill shelter in North Carolina. Adopt-A-Dog members drove through the night to rescue Mama and her young and arrived back in Connecticut just in time for the birth of the fox kits about eight weeks ago.

"The irony that it ended up being a foxhound-type dog was pure coincidence," said Allyson Halm, president of Adopt-A-Dog. "I was quite amazed. It was very sweet."

Against the instincts of an American foxhound, Mama quickly became a caring mother for the foxes.

"She was so kind and so gentle," said Marcella Leone, the conservation center's director.

Because of the adult female fox's behavior following her previous pregnancies, Leone thought the idea of searching out a canine surrogate mother would be both interesting and beneficial to raising awareness for the dog adoption community.

Leone said she was shocked when she first saw the photos of Mama because the dog is from a breed known to hunt and kill foxes.

"I thought, `I'm going to give this a try,' " she said, adding that she thought Mama might have trouble nursing the kits because of their small size.

A nocturnal animal found in the Sahara, the North African fennec fox is the world's smallest species of canine -- the biological family that includes wolves, foxes and domestic dogs. Fully grown the fox weighs only about 1.5 to 3.5 pounds, with a length between 9 and 16 inches.

The pairing may not have been exactly what nature had in mind, but Mama quickly took to her motherhood role, Leone said.

"She loved them and cleaned them and protected them," Leone said. "She is just a precious, wonderful dog."

Halm and Leone said it was a win-win situation for all the animals.

A dog and cat rescue sanctuary organization serving New York and Connecticut, Adopt-A-Dog helps animals from all types of challenging situations, Halm said.

"We try to make ourselves available for those moments we can become useful," Halm said.

Unfortunately, she said, those moments are far too frequent.

Halm said Mama and the fox kits may be at the organization's Puttin' on the Dog festival Sept. 25 at Roger Sherman Baldwin Park. The event will feature a dog show as well as pets for adoption and family entertainment.

Like all of the animals at Adopt-A-Dog, Mama and her puppies are looking for loving homes.

Staff Writer David Hennessey can be reached at david.hennessey@scni.com or 203-625-4428.