Feisty, Funky, and Free

Recently, I had the opportunity to be part of something really special. I got to release a gray fox back into the wild.

In February, the North Texas Wildlife Center took in a severely injured young male fox from Colleyville. The finder’s son named him Keel. Over the next few weeks, thanks to compassionate care by permitted rehabbers, multiple vet visits, and donations from the public, Keel was able to recover from his wounds and grow strong and healthy. Last weekend, he was ready to be released back on the property where he was found.

The posts below and this link share Keel’s journey.

But they don’t share his whole journey. I’d like to fill in a few blanks.

Cousin Kelley, Colleyville, and Concerning Questions

When the president of NTXWC asked me if I would like to release Keel back into the wild, I felt very honored. In my mind, her request meant she trusted me with this special patient, was thankful for all the hard work I do on the intake line, and maybe even wanted to reward me by allowing me to be a part of this unique experience. After all, she knows I adore gray foxes. I eagerly accepted my boss’s offer, my head swimming with all the unsaid (but surely implied) praise, gratitude, and friendship embedded in the task. Then, I immediately called my Cousin Kelley to ask her to come with me because:

All adventures are better with Cousin Kelley.
She loves animals as much as I do.
Keel was being returned to his home in Colleyville, which is a very special place for my cousin and me.

Kelley and I had ever been to Colleyville until last weekend, at least not together, but we’ve been talking about it for 30 years because of a mixtape.

***

Short History Lesson:

Before Spotify and iTunes and Alexa, before playlists and Sirius and CDS, we used to get our music from the radio. We’d sit in front of our stereo for hours on end, a blank cassette tape in the player and our finger poised on the record button, waiting for a good song to come on so we could tape it. Because DJs often talked over the starts of songs, many recordings included pieces of ads, station identification, or snippets of conversation. This is how mixtapes were made. Mixtapes were personal, original, priceless tokens of love, and I miss them.

***

Cousin Kelley and I gave each other many mixtapes over the years. In the early 1990s, she gave me one that included Roxette’s “Fading Like a Flower.” However, as the introductory notes of the song played, a man with a nasally voice said, “Hi, this is Jason from Colleyville, and I want to hear ‘Fading Like a Flower’ by Roxette.”

Jason, if you’re reading this, I want you to thank you for calling the radio station that day to make a request. You should know that you’re a celebrity in our world. Kelley and I have been talking about you for decades. We hope you’re doing well. If I’d been asked to name the gray fox, I would definitely have named him Jason from Colleyville.

So…last Sunday around ten o’clock in the morning, Kelley, Keel, and I started the 40-minute drive from Plano to Colleyville. Keel was excited to be released. Kelley was excited to see a fox get released. I was excited because I thought being tasked with releasing a fox meant I was a highly respected member of the team at the North Texas Wildlife Center. But about five minutes into the trip, something made me start to question that assumption. And that something was fox funk.

Could it be, I wondered, that the real reason I was chosen for this job was because my boss knew just how bad my car would stink after I used it to transport a young male fox? Was I, in fact, being punished rather than rewarded?

Perhaps.

Keel’s scent didn’t hit us all at once. First, it was a mere hint. Then, a suggestion. But soon his magnificent musk became a presence in the vehicle, like an unwanted hitchhiker riding in the backseat, silent but unforgettable. It wasn’t long before the bold bouquet caused me to crack the windows on the windy highway and Kelley to calculate whether she would have enough time to shower before driving her daughter to dance. The fox’s foul fragrance hit full force about halfway to our destination, but even then, it emanated in waves, wafting back and forth over us. At times, the toxic tang lessened just long enough to make us think it might be weakening, only to increase to hurricane strength again moments later, interrupting our conversation with its musky magnitude.

During one of these particularly potent crescendos, I realized my AC was set on recirculated air. Oops. I remedied that, which helped a tiny bit, but nothing would make this acrid aroma fade like a flower.

Kelley and I bravely pushed on, carrying on conversations as well as we could while covering our faces and trying to think of things to talk about other than the odor enveloping us. Keel, for his part, never said a word on the journey. Instead, he let his stench do the talking. So I still can’t answer the question, “What does the fox say?” I can only tell you how it smells: rank.

Stay Wild, Stay Free, Stay Foxy

When we arrived at the release site, the owner of the property met my car at the gate, and I rolled my window down so he could give me directions about where to park. Standing about eight feet from my car, he looked at my Honda Fit and said with a big smile, “It’s hard to believe you’ve got a fox in there!”

Kelley and I looked at each other and I replied, “Um, it wouldn’t be hard to believe if you were in here.”

Just then the wind must have shifted because suddenly the man’s jaw fell and he said, “Whoa! I can smell it from here!”

Yep.

The property where Keel came from had everything a young fox could ask for: large undeveloped spaces with trees, shrubs, a running creek, and kind homeowners who value nature and respect wildlife. Though the car ride had seemed long, the release went quickly. After weeks in rehab, this fox was ready to go. When we opened his crate, Keel sprung out and trotted away from us, kicking up his heels with joy before stopping to take in all the sights and smells of his home. It was beautiful to watch his vibrant orange and gray coat gleam in the sun and his fluffy tail twitch with curiosity as he held his nose to the air and took a long sniff. Then he bounded to the creek to explore.

Animals deserve to be wild, and I’m so grateful that the North Texas Wildlife Center was able to give Keel a second chance at living a healthy fox life. Please consider donating to this amazing organization. They are currently trying to raise enough money to buy a larger facility where they can help even more injured and orphaned animals like Keel. Here are some ways to donate:

PayPal and Zelle: Accounting@ntxwildlife.org
CashApp and Venmo: @NTXWC, verification code: 9453
Via their website: www.ntxwildlife.org

If you want to help animals in need and get a cool t-shirt, order this “Stay Foxy” design before April 13th. The shirt comes in multiple styles and colors and features Finley, the gray fox who lives on my property. Proceeds benefit NTXWC. (Finley would like everyone to know that she does not stink, not at all, and also that she never ever wants to ride in a car to test that theory.)

Note: If it’s after April 13, 2025, and you missed out on a chance to get this fox shirt, NTXWC has a bunch of other awesome designs available in their swag shop.

As Cousin Kelley and I drove home with the windows down, we talked about how special it had been watching Keel reclaim his freedom. If only the homeowner had turned out to be Jason from Colleyville, the experience would have been perfect. We wished the best for Keel as he set out on his second chance at life, but it was hard to believe the fox was actually gone. After all, his stench was still with us.