Fox and hedgehog become best friends, meet for dinner every night

"They're united by their mutual love of free and plentiful food." No Images? [Click here]( July 9, 2018 Good morning! Today we have a fox who befriended a hedgehog, a dog who needed a makeover and a young boy who built his kitten the most incredible home. 1. Fox And Hedgehog Become Friends, Meet Up For Dinner Every Night Photo Credit: Lucy Goacher Some matches are made in heaven, as the saying goes — but this remarkable friendship was formed a bit closer to home. Or, to be more specific, Lucy Goacher's back garden. Goacher lives in England where, in many parts of the country, native species like foxes have been forced to adapt to urban life. Their close proximity to humans, and perceived aloofness as scavengers, have given foxes a negative reputation with some folks. Early on, Goacher was one of them. "My family and I have had fox visitors for years, but like a lot of people we believed they were dangerous creatures and that they'd be a danger to our cats," Goacher told The Dodo. "But a few years ago we realized how gentle they really are." Given the hardships facing foxes amidst human development in England, it's not uncommon for people to provide food and water to these animals (and the practice is even encouraged by some wildlife officials). Two years ago, Goacher started doing just that. Sure enough, the four foxes who frequented the area before soon became regular visitors. And in exchange, Goacher was rewarded with some stunning encounters. Just about every night since then, the foxes have gathered at Goacher's place for their dinner. Recently, however, word apparently got out about all the free food and a different sort of visitor began to arrive: This hungry little hedgehog. Photo Credit: Lucy Goacher On the first few visits, the hedgehog arrived only after the foxes had had their fill — but eventually he decided to take his chances at eating first. Goacher was stunned. "He marched straight through the assembled foxes and started on a bowl," she said. "I was terrified they'd attack him, but instead they just looked at him with curiosity, like they couldn't believe his boldness, and they left him alone to munch away." Clearly, the little hedgehog's brazen approach had worked. There's always plenty of food for everyone, but at first the foxes seemed wary of interrupting the spiky newcomer during mealtime. But then something quite remarkable happened. One of the foxes decided to break the ice. This friendlier fox, much to Goacher's surprise, began dining on the spiky newcomer's schedule. "He's very happy to eat beside the hedgehog," she said. In fact, now it's become a regular thing. Photo Credit: Lucy Goacher And just like that, an unlikely sort of friendship blossomed. While the fox and hedgehog might seem like an odd pair to be pals, their open-mindedness toward one another comes with some obvious benefits: This friendly fox gets to eat before his less-accepting counterparts, and the hedgehog has an ally to ward off other animals who might want to threaten him. It's fair to say they've got it good. This all began, of course, thanks to Goacher. Her daily act of kindness toward animals in her garden has sprouted something beautifully unexpected. "I assumed the hedgehog would be in danger, or at least avoid the foxes entirely," she said. "But they're united by their mutual love of free and plentiful food. Something that can be said for most humans too, I imagine." 2. Poodle Arrives At Shelter With Pounds Of 'Dreadlocks' Hanging Off Him Photo Credit: Humane Society of North Texas One day late last month, a truck pulled up to an animal shelter in Fort Worth, Texas, after driving for five hours in the sweltering heat. In the flatbed of the truck was some cargo covered by a tarp. Under the tarp were kennels containing over 20 animals — and they were in terrible shape. "A woman surrendered them to us from Houston," Cassie Lackey, community relations manager for the Humane Society of North Texas (HSNT), told The Dodo. "We don't have a lot of info on her and, honestly, considering the conditions these animals were in, our first priority was to save their lives." The people at the shelter sprung into action, taking all the animals inside. There were dogs and cats — six cats were discovered stuffed in a single crate. There were also exotic animals: four sugar gliders, a snake and a red-footed turtle. "These animals had a myriad of health concerns, heatstroke being top on the list," Lackey said. Among these animals were three poodle mixes who looked particularly bad. And one of them — whom rescuers named Pierre — was the worst of those three. "Their matting was so severe, they had limited range of motion," Lackey said. "Their dreadlocks were intertwined and painful when they walked, as if each step pulled on fur. We had NO idea what was under the matting .... We put a plea on our Facebook for help." Taking on so many needy animals at once put a strain on the shelter's resources. So they hoped members of the community might pitch in to help. "Let's just be real. It's been a rough week here at HSNT," the shelter wrote. "These cases hurt our hearts, but we wake up every day and give our best to the pets in our care." The shelter had no idea how much support it would get for these animals. "The North Texas community outpouring of love has been unreal," Lackey said. "They funded all the animals' veterinary care, and PetSmart donated free grooming to us with their senior groomers." Grooming Pierre in particular took time. The visible vestiges of years of neglect had to be removed very carefully so that he wouldn't be caused any further pain. "It took hours, and needed to be done in sections," Lackey said. "The weight of his fur alone from the fecal matter, urine and mud was FIVE pounds." Slowly, Pierre's past was shaved away, and he started to look like a totally different dog — his dark, sensitive eyes were more apparent as he shed the dreadlocks that had been weighing him down. Photo Credit: Humane Society of North Texas Pierre also got a soothing bath to totally remove all the dirt and fleas from his skin. After Pierre shed his past, he would have another hurdle to overcome: finding a loving family. "I had Pierre in my office each day to give him interaction, socialization and love," Lackey said. "It is amazing how much he loves people ... He doesn't quite know what treats or balls/toys are yet, but he will. He is ridiculously sweet and loving considering his horrid beginning." Thankfully, it wasn't so difficult for Pierre's new life to begin. After just a few days at the shelter, a family arrived determined to give him the life he deserved all along. The Unzickers had fallen in love with Pierre. And soon they arrived, beaming with grins, to take Pierre home. Photo Credit: Humane Society of North Texas It may take a little time for it to really sink in for Pierre that his life is totally different now — but he certainly looks like a totally renewed dog. "Pierre won,” Lackey said. “He won the hearts of our community." 3. Kid Loves New Kitten So Much He Decides To Build Her A Real House Photo Credit: Lauren Harris Nine-year-old Peyton Harris has been begging his parents to let him adopt a kitten for years — and about a month ago, they finally agreed. The family of five visited a few different shelters and an adoption event, but as soon as Peyton met little Luna Lovegood, he knew she was the kitten he had been waiting for. “He had his heart set on this particular kitten,” Lauren Harris, Peyton’s mom, told The Dodo. “She had an adoption application already filled out for her, so we had to wait to see if they would adopt her or pass on her.” As it turns out, Peyton and Luna were meant to be together, because the other family decided not to adopt her, and Luna officially became the kitten Peyton had been waiting so long for. Luna settled into her new home almost immediately and fell in love with every single member of her family, even the dog. The 4-month-old kitten is very friendly and loves cuddling with her new family, especially her big brother Peyton. “She is an incredibly affectionate kitten, which is the reason my son was so drawn to her,” Harris said. “My son is incredibly introverted, so he wanted a kitten that would cuddle and sleep in his bed with him.” After a month of having Luna, Peyton decided he wanted to do something special for her. He started saving up his money to buy her a cat tree — and then he had an even better idea. He decided he wanted to build Luna her very own two-story house. Peyton’s family is staying with his grandparents for the summer while his dad helps build them a new house, so there was already extra wood and other miscellaneous materials lying around that weren’t being used. Peyton decided to use all of this to build Luna’s house, and the whole family came together to work on the project. “My son had complete creative control of the plans and did a large amount of the building,” Harris said. “My cousin, Kristen, had helped my parents build some built-in bunk beds, so she did most of the structural planning and cutting of the wood. Peyton did a lot of the hammering and used the drill to put it together. He also did all of the painting!” The house took around four days to build, and the finished product is pretty spectacular. Photo Credit: Lauren Harris The house has two floors, a front porch, a ramp leading up to the second floor and a hinged roof so the family can access the second floor. The upper floor is completely carpeted, and so is the ramp. The house is a gorgeous piece of teamwork, and everyone is so happy with how it turned out — especially Luna. “The kitten loved the house and takes all of her naps in it,” Harris said. “We started feeding her on the porch, too, so that my dog doesn’t have access to her food.” Luna loves having a place all her own that she can go to escape for a while, and she also loves sitting on her front porch and observing the goings-on of her family. Peyton waited so long for a kitten, and now that he has one, he can’t help but spoil her in all the best ways, and Luna definitely loves him for it. This Mouse Is Determined To Steal A Cracker [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [YouTube]( [Instagram]( The Dodo 100 Crosby St., 201 New York, NY 10012 [Forward]( [Unsubscribe](