Fantastic Mr. Fox may have been a work of fiction, but as you can see from these pictures, this man from County Kilkenny, Ireland is most definitely the real thing.

The man is Patsy Gibbons and his two adorable sidekicks are Grainne and Minnie. Gibbons nursed the foxes back to health after they were found abandoned as pups, and although the animals made a full recovery and could have returned to the wild, it seems that they decided to adopt their rescuer instead! Somewhat unsurprisingly, the three of them receive a lot of attention from local children, so much so that schools have invited Grainne and Minnie to come along so students can see them up close.

“I now have people from all over the country and indeed the UK asking me for advice on looking after foxes,” Gibbons told The Irish Examiner. “I’m no expert and I’m still learning from them day-by-day (but) I’m happy to advise as a lay person.” (h/t: designyoutrust, irishexaminer)

Image credits: Clodagh Kilcoyne

Image credits: Clodagh Kilcoyne

Image credits: Clodagh Kilcoyne

Image credits: inesemjphotography

Image credits: inesemjphotography

Image credits: Clodagh Kilcoyne

Image credits: inesemjphotography

Image credits: Clodagh Kilcoyne

Image credits: Clodagh Kilcoyne