Massachusetts Rescue Fox Heals Her Heart After Adopting Three Orphaned Furbabies
Love is one of the most powerful forces in the world, and animals feel its impact just as deeply as we do.
It has the ability to mend what’s broken, bring comfort, and replace loneliness with joy. The story of a fox named Hope beautifully shows just how transformative love can be.
Hope’s journey began on the side of a road in Chelmsford, Massachusetts.
She was in terrible shape when animal control officers found her and rushed her to Newhouse Wildlife Rescue, a non-profit dedicated to rehabilitating injured and orphaned wildlife.
There, founder Jane Newhouse welcomed her with compassion and immediately arranged for veterinary care.
The vet discovered that Hope suffered from canine vestibular disease, a condition that causes disorientation, head tilts, and loss of balance.
Through careful treatment and months of recovery at the rescue, Hope gradually grew stronger.
Her balance came back, her health steadied, and her spirits started to rise. Still, even with all that progress, there was a void that had yet to be filled.
Hope was lonely. With no other foxes at the rescue, she longed for companionship. That changed when Jane received three orphaned baby foxes, each from a different mother.
Raising them apart was proving difficult. As Jane explained:
“It’s difficult to teach baby foxes how to fox without an adult. If they’re too used to people, and we release them, they’re gonna be approaching people and scaring people.”
Jane placed the kits in an enclosure right next to Hope’s, and that’s when something extraordinary happened.
Hope, who had never once tried to escape her own space, began making every effort to get closer to the babies. At the same time, the little foxes eagerly tried to reach her, their bond instantly clear.
After watching this behavior for a week, Jane cautiously introduced them. She placed a muzzle on Hope just in case, but her fears quickly melted away. Jane recalled:
“There was no growling, there was no fear, and all the kits were immediately excited.”
It felt as though they had been meant to find one another. After six long months of loneliness, Hope needed the kits just as much as they needed her. From that moment on, she stepped into the role of their guardian.
Supervised at first, then trusted completely, Hope stepped naturally into the role of mother.
She taught the kits to fear humans – a crucial survival skill – and cared for them with remarkable patience. Jane noticed how selfless she was:
“She’s such a good mom. She would wait to eat often until they’d eaten. When they’re sleeping she would sleep right beside the igloo that they go into. They’ll pull on her face, and pull on her ears, and she’s just so patient.”
What began as a story that could have ended in heartbreak instead became one of love and second chances.
Hope found the family she longed for, and the kits discovered the mother figure they needed most. Months later, once the youngsters were healthy and strong, it was time for them to return to the wild.
Jane released them as a group, ensuring they could stay together, and as the carrier doors opened, Hope and her adopted kits bounded into the forest – healthy, complete, and surrounded by love.
Hope’s story is proof that love doesn’t just heal – it transforms.
She transformed from a lonely, injured fox into a devoted mother, and with Jane’s kindness, she and her adopted family received the happy ending they had always deserved.
