Gray fox family: Part 2 - Frances explores her new home

We return to the story of Dolly, her mate, Broken Ear, and their kit, Frances. They moved into one of our dens during the summer of 2023 and stayed for a couple of weeks.
Our cameras recorded non-stop while they were with us, both inside the den and out - and often simultaneously if Frances was inside asleep and one of her parents was outside keeping watch from the tall stump. So we have hours and hours of great video and we’re having fun publishing it.
In Part 2 of our story we see Frances exploring her new home and climbing on the logs and stumps while her mother smilingly keeps her eye on things.
Frances had no siblings to play with, and Dolly - the most patient and loving fox mother we’ve ever had the good luck to observe - seemed to understand that she needed to become the fun companion that her kit was missing. Fox kits play-fight constantly and Dolly put up with tail-pulling, ear-biting, nose-chewing, and countless gleeful ambushes. She was endlessly patient and seemingly indestructible.
In this part, we also meet Frances’s father, Broken Ear, for the first time and see Frances’s and Dolly’s excitement at his arrival. Broken Ear was an attentive mate and father, but he had recently been injured in a fight (probably a territorial wrangle with another fox) and for the first week or so of our story he was still sore and trying to avoid being further beaten by his rambunctious little daughter.
#texasbackyardwildlife ‪@TexasBackyardWildlife‬

[@suzmaca650]

Thank you for posting

[@alanatolstad4824]

Thanx Dan! Next best thing to being there!

[@virginiapaul1973]

So so sweet to rewatch them a year later!! Thank you! 🥰💜

[@marina3934]

My heart is melting at the end, such a sweet clip of them cuddled together. What a lucky pup to have such a great family

[@ryanmartin7500]

We LOVE these foxes 😍

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

We do too.

[@SpecialSP]

That last shot of them sleepy is priceless! thank you …

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

It is, isn't it? Very sweet.

[@SpecialSP]

@@TexasBackyardWildlife That would make a great poster! hint hint …

[@christinasattelberg8625]

I loved dolly and baby Francis.

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

We have about 5 (or is it 10???) more videos to publish. There's a lot of footage.

[@wecancreateitall]

Thank you for giving your time and heart and sharing it with the world in this way

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

What a kind thing to say, SweetSativa. Thank you!

[@djryan8944]

Video made my day. Thanks

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

Thank you!

[@brokenwrench404]

Awesome video. We love your tree dogs

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

Thanks, Brokenwrench.

[@KapricornKary]

Foxes are so fascinating and I never knew that till I started watching your channel! ❤🐺

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

They are elegant and smart little creatures and we feel lucky to be sharing our space here with them.

[@catsara9114]

Yay, Frances part 2 😍 Wonderful editing and narrating! I love the image fade out :)

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

Thank you, CatSara! I'll pass your message on to Dan.

[@remyowenmusic]

My new favorite youtube channel 🥹

[@johnkapusi8793]

Hard to say which is more adorable, Dolly or Broken Ear! I wish my red foxes would bring their babies to the terrace where I feed them, but they only show up when they are teenagers. I don't know where their dens are, maybe it's better like that, humans cannot be trusted.

[@TexasBackyardWildlife]

Humans definitely shouldn't be trusted. These foxes know us, but they're still sensibly cautious. We feel we know them well because we are able to spy on their private lives with our cameras.