# Question: Are foxes dogs?



## Arashi (Feb 4, 2012)

I would like some help on a question.

Could anyone tell me if foxes are dogs, or a another animal altogether?

I'm guessing they aren't dogs, but I hope I can get an answer from someone who knows about this kind of thing.

Thank you in advance!


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## Babs (Jan 26, 2012)

Foxes are related to canines, so they are more closely related to a dog than a cat, if that's what you mean. They actually belong to a group called vulpine here in the Isles, I know they call it something else in America but I can't for the life of me find it on google. They're pretty cat like in some ways, but I've heard that back in the day some breeds of dog could interbreed with foxes, so they must be more dog than anything else. Huh. Loaded question, I'm off googling here!


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## Arashi (Feb 4, 2012)

I see, thanks for the insight.

I understand that they are related to canines, but in that sense, can we say a fox is a dog? Or can we only say that a fox is an animal related to dogs?


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

Arashi said:


> I see, thanks for the insight.
> 
> I understand that they are related to canines, but in that sense, can we say a fox is a dog? Or can we only say that a fox is an animal related to dogs?


They are distantly related, but definitely not dogs. Vulpines cannot interbreed with Canini's.


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## Arashi (Feb 4, 2012)

lilspaz68 said:


> They are distantly related, but definitely not dogs. Vulpines cannot interbreed with Canini's.


Thank you very much!


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## Iheartroxyrat (Feb 22, 2012)

they arent dogs, but are related to dogs  i agree with above ppl


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## Arashi (Feb 4, 2012)

Thanks,

I understand that they are related to dogs, but I was curious to know if it was enough to classify them as dogs.


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## Iheartroxyrat (Feb 22, 2012)

nope, they are classified as foxes, and i think there are these long legged foxes in mexico that are actually wolves lol or closer related anyways. haha its just confusing! foxes are so cute, there is afamily of near my house, i can hear them hunt mice and play


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## Arashi (Feb 4, 2012)

Confusing! But it's good to know that they're not dogs, at least I have an answer.

I don't think there are foxes where I'm from, but I'll bet they're interesting to watch. I think fennec foxes are cute, and some people keep them as pets.

However I heard that they bite, can't be litter trained, not as good with people and are expensive. I think rats make better pets!


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## Iheartroxyrat (Feb 22, 2012)

agreed!! i heard foxes have a personality closer to cats and while i love my cats, they can be hard sometimes! lol yes fennec foxes are adorable!! where do u live? or what country? im in idaho and we get alot of foxes, coyotes, and wolves around and in the city, the wolves usually stay away from humans but the coyotes will come right into your yard and get into trouble! also i love wolfdogs!! id love one but i heard alot of them have dominance issues and are more distructive. still beautiful! im totally content with my silly ratties  my roxy who is due any day now has been acting pretty wild herself! lol must be mommy issues! she hasnt done anything to me, but she has to everybody else! she bit my dog on the nose, my cat on its foot, and beat up her cage mate (not that the above list didnt deserve it haha) but shes totally lovin on me and giving me lots of snuggles and kisses, she must trust me or something! <3


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## Arashi (Feb 4, 2012)

I'm from Malaysia. I've heard coyotes can be a problem, I'd be scared of them! In fact, I'm a little uneasy around dogs in general. Yeah, I guess if you don't show a dog who's the boss, they'll act up. I've actually considered on whether I should get a pet fox, from time to time, but I wasn't sure if they were dogs or not, so I decided to post a question.

Haha, I guess none of your pets would want to mess with Roxy! And it's good that she trusts you. I got my rats at a late age, but I think they're fine with me.


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## Iheartroxyrat (Feb 22, 2012)

miss Roxy has quite the attitude right now its pretty funny!! now all the animals are scared of her haha. oh really? where is Malaysia? im trying to remember a world map in my head right now lol. i might be going to bali this summer is that near there? sorry i get all my countries mixed up on where they are ha! i think u should get a dog if u can, i love them, they are loyal compions and if u get it as a pup they will respect your ratties too  ya where i live is right in the wild west of the usa! lol im about an hour away from a huge wilderness area where no humans live and no cell service, idaho is know for having poor covered areas because of all the mountains. the coyotes can be a pest but i think they r kinda cute and u can hear them talking and signing to each other i think its pretty and cool  alot of my family hunts them and keep the furs, (my family is a bunch of cowboys and ranchers lol) i hunt too but it kinda makes me sad cuz they look so much like a dog! ha


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## Arashi (Feb 4, 2012)

Malaysia's the peninsula (known as North Malaysia) south of Thailand, north of Singapore. Geography isn't my strong point either, lol. I've heard Bali is a nice place with lots to see, but I honestly have no idea where it's located!

Is Idaho a nice place? I've never been to the US before, but some of my friends who have say it's good there, although they commented that the heat in the summer was terrible. Actually I like the idea of living somewhere without a heavy population, though.

Thanks for the insight about keeping a dog, I've heard they can be very loyal companions, but I don't think they're the pet for me! I wouldn't say I have a phobia of dogs, but I am uneasy around them, lol.


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## Iheartroxyrat (Feb 22, 2012)

picture your rats 50 pounds bigger, my rats remind me of little dogs! you just need to meet some nice dogs like mine. zeus has raised two kittens, hes such a silly boy! if any one raises their voices around him he gets sad and scared! hes a big baby haha. i love zeus, when ever i go driving i take him  hes my protector and my best friend, i take my rats in my hood and him at my side! my cats stay home because they are grouchy and independent! give nice dogs a chance and u will change your mind  where i live during the summer it usually gets into the 90's f. sometimes a 100, but rarely! where i live in idaho its high desert, so theres alot of mountians, sage brush, and pine trees on the mountains. right now the mountains are totally white from the snow we got last night! its beautiful here, i live in a city of about 20,000 and theres alot of cities around us too, its the third biggest city in idaho still im pretty sure. i guess you could say im a cowgirl, i was born and raised with this outdoor life style  i love to sled and ski but i love summer much more!! and i cannot wait! i think summers here are amazing, u will have to come visit idaho some time!! tell me a little about where you r from? i love traveling and i love hearing about different places to go explore


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## Arashi (Feb 4, 2012)

Haha, what kind of dog is Zeus? He sounds like a nice one. I'm okay with some dogs, but I guess why I'm uneasy around them is because I have a bad first impression about them. But of course I would treat them as living creatures with their own personalities, like rats, or cats.

I've only seen snow once in my life, when I visited Melbourne in Australia. I'm not really an outdoor person, although there's a lot of rainforest and jungle to see here, and a few nice islands as well. But I've really been to a jungle just once, though. It's hot and humid here, and there's a lot of mosquitoes so Dengue Fever is a problem (although I've read that a vaccine is being developed). Towards the end of the year is monsoon season so it rains almost every day. From what you've said though, Idaho sounds like a nice place and I would like to visit some day .

It's actually 4 AM right now, I don't sleep very well, lol.


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## Iheartroxyrat (Feb 22, 2012)

Zeus is a doberman pinscher, they have a bad reputation but i was raised by one as a child! very good nanny haha we werent allowed near water or cars! lol wow a jungle huh? ive never been to one before! sounds nice to have the humidity, its so dry here, i hear good and bad about it lol. ya i sleep pretty bad too!! i hate it! its 2:27 in the day here  isnt that crazy? so lets switch houses for a week and go explore each others countries! ha that would be intresting... its pretty hard to break bad first impressions!! i agree about that! if u look on my profile i have some photographs of zeus if u want to see what he looks like  maybe one of these days we can come visit each other and talk rats!! are rats a common pet in your area?


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## Arashi (Feb 4, 2012)

I'm probably not what you would call an adventurous person. Still I do enjoy walking around in new places and finding my way around. I also only speak English, I can barely speak a full sentence in my native tongue, lol.

Not many people keep rats here, and most people don't know they can be kept as pets. So usually when I say I keep pet rats I usually hear "You mean the things that run around on the street?". I only bought mine because I read about a pet rat in a book, I wanted companions, and because I've seen a domestic rat up close and really liked how it was so docile. So rats: not a common pet. Pythons: popular pet. Which explains where I got mine from.


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## shawnalaufer (Aug 21, 2011)

I once worked for a pet shop that sold fennec foxes. We had one we called "Joey". I remembered feeding him dog kiddle and frozen mixed veggies. I have no idea what they should or should not eat but it seemed like a weird diet. I also remember all he would do was pace back and forth in his cage crying...it was the saddest thing! Needless to say, I didnt work for that pet store much long after that!


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## Arashi (Feb 4, 2012)

Poor fox.


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## Iheartroxyrat (Feb 22, 2012)

Arashi, did u ever get some sleep?? awww that poor fox! shawna u made me sad i wouldnt have worked there either! :-( im glad u decided on rats!! im not super adventurous cuz u will NEVER see me sky diving!! or anything to do with heights!! haha u neednt be that adventurous to come here! would u like to go look at horses and wildlife? thats what i like to do! and hikes and walks in the forests! how come you speak english so well? i think you speak it better then me!!  and how do we always get into this long convos? i guess we just enjoy talking!


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## Iheartroxyrat (Feb 22, 2012)

shawnalaufer said:


> I once worked for a pet shop that sold fennec foxes. We had one we called "Joey". I remembered feeding him dog kiddle and frozen mixed veggies. I have no idea what they should or should not eat but it seemed like a weird diet. I also remember all he would do was pace back and forth in his cage crying...it was the saddest thing! Needless to say, I didnt work for that pet store much long after that!


that is a very weird diet... im pretty sure they eat meat...? or at least a omnivour type diet with both... what state are u in that sells fennec foxes? did u tell them u quit and they can go some where hot? lol ;-)


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## Arashi (Feb 4, 2012)

Yep, got to sleep eventually, hope I sleep better tonight. I do like to watch wildlife, and walks through the forest sounds nice!

I speak English because my parents speak it, and I was lazy to learn other languages lol.

Yeah, talking is fun, really nice people to meet here


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## Arashi (Feb 4, 2012)

I wonder if foxes actually make good pets...


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## Iheartroxyrat (Feb 22, 2012)

id say prob not, they seem too wild and they prefer to live alone in nature. sorta like cats! lol i actually slept really bad the other night too, something in the air huh? are your parents from america or something? im way too lazy to learn any other laungages too haha i kinda know some spanish just because im around alot of mexicans here. and i watch alot of japanese anime and ive noticed im picking up on it too, but ive got a crazy memory lol i dotn actually learn it, just memorize some of it! i think u should get a small to medium dog! a calm breed tho, or go to a dog shelter or rescue and ask to meet the sweetest calmest ones there, i mean it Arashi, i think u would really enjoy the right dog, having a fox would be very similar to a dog as far as care and a fox would be more likely to bite or run away, while a dog is more liking to become your shadow and wake u up with kisses and love  my doberman follows me every where and gets upset if i leave him alone! ha such a love baby ;-) but i def think u need to go meet a few dogs and keep your mind open to new things, just make sure u meet nice, calm, sweet dogs only and tell the shelter ppl your kinda nervous around dogs. wish i could go with ya! im really good with dogs and picking out pups. im a dog whisperer hehe! just picture your rats bigger, they are sooo much like dogs its weird sometimes! love them both so much  its very nice talking to u too! ive met some really awesome ppl on this forum!


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## Arashi (Feb 4, 2012)

I suppose so. I guess they do act more like cats than dogs, lol.

Are my parents from America? Nah, I know almost nothing about America! I really should read a bit more. I'm part Chinese and part Malay. I watch anime in my free time as well, but not a lot, can really get hooked on it.

Well if I ever had to pick a dog, I sure would need some help. Even small dogs used scare me, but you're right, I should be more open minded. I'm not as terrified of them now (unless it's a big one). But I think I would find dogs more approachable if I just think of them as "bigger rats"


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## Iheartroxyrat (Feb 22, 2012)

agreed! as a rat lover u really should be open minded! haha im just teasin  but yes, they are very similar in intelligance and loyalty  u just need to meet some nice dogs, calm dogs not the hyper ones lol just like when ppl are scared of rats, i introduce them to the sweet calm ones first lol  ah now im the one who cant sleep! ha its 2:18 in the morning here but im pretty sure roxy might be having her babies soon so im being paraniod and watching her from afar lol, and im watching anime


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## Arashi (Feb 4, 2012)

Yep, that's the way to make introductions to animals.

I was just going to ask about the time in your area (it's 4 in the afternoon here). Good luck with Roxy! I hope it goes well for her.


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## Iheartroxyrat (Feb 22, 2012)

oh i bet it will, im just being a worry wart lol, shes my lil baby and ive been feeling the pups kicking and moving inside of her its pretty cool


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