Foxy
Female New Guinea Singing Dog
Zeebie
Foxy joined the Big Pack in the Sky on June 6th, 2022.
She was assisted at 12 years old due to bloat.

Foxy was born in November of 2009, and arrived at Wild Spirit in 2011. Foxy’s story began with a Pennsylvania man who bought a breeding pair of New Guinea singing dogs from a flea market. That same year, he obtained another pair from a kennel that had been shut down by his state. By October of 2010, he had over 80 Singers. They endured unsanitary, makeshift living conditions, including a half dozen adults housed in travel crates stacked on top of one another. The press secretary for the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture said that aside from not holding the proper licenses and not vaccinating his Singers for rabies, she thought the animals seemed loved and well-fed. However, it was clear that their owner was overwhelmed and she considered him to be a hoarder. Pennsylvania animal officials decided it would be best for all but 10 of his Singers to be placed in other homes or sanctuaries, and their owner cooperated fully. We are thankful for James McIntyre from NG Singing Dogs Conservation Society who went to assist, and Tom Wendt from NG Singing Dog International who went to the rescue and found refuge for 62 of the 88 animals. We send huge thanks to Samantha Burleson from Tom’s organization who called us several months later. Five of the Singers had gone to Arizona and needed to be relocated again.

After all the details were arranged, the Singers made the trip to Wild Spirit. We were elated to welcome three girls, Foxy, Reba and Princess, and two boys, Bono and Bowie. Foxy was 2-years old in 2010; the others were only 1-year old. They all had the unusual luxury of being examined by Silje, the celebrity “Wildlife Vet” from Norway only moments after they arrived. We have done no official research so far, but in our professional opinion, Singers are capable of giving you an extreme case of “Too Cute-itis.” They will steal your heart in approximately 18 seconds.

We’ve had to do some rearranging with our five Singers in their time here. The original pack of five split into two groups, with Bono forming “The Singing Trio” with Reba and Princess. Beautiful Foxy was Princess’ mom and lived with our other boy, Bowie. Bono was happy to call Wild Spirit home instead, where he was safe, well-cared for, and adored by our staff and volunteers.

Zeebie

Personality

Foxy was our shyest New Guinea singing dog. Our beautiful girl was very serious, had some battle scars on her face, and usually looked worried. She would come up to some of her caretakers, but she didn’t like to be touched.

Relationships

Foxy lived with New Guinea singing dog, Bowie. She was once the “Queen” of her habitat when Foxy, Bowie, Bono, Princess (Foxy’s daughter) and Reba all lived together. However, over time she kicked all of them out, except for Bowie!

Likes & Dislikes

Foxy loved Bowie. She also enjoyed sneaking up behind her caretakers and checking them out with her nose while their attention was focused on Bowie.

Foxy, like all our Singers, was startled by sudden movements. She didn’t like to be touched, and although we tried, she refused enrichment walks. Still, this never stopped her from howling for Bowie to come home while he was out for walks.

Fun Facts

Foxy was featured on the Norwegian television show, “Wildlife Vet” when the popular program was filming an episode at Wild Spirit the same week she arrived. We respected her shyness and let her sit in the travel crate, even after the lid was removed.

Share your Memories of Foxy Below!

2 Comments

  1. Lori Bosarge

    These are beautiful animals. Thank you for sharing their story

    Reply
  2. Nikki Peterson

    I visited yesterday and absolutely fell in love with Foxy. She had plenty to say (I know she was nervous with us there.) Bowie was also very sweet.

    Reply

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