A Florida couple have a pet fox which they let sleep in their bed at night and sit on the front seat during car journeys.
Brandon Race, 32, and Jessi Ladd, 24, take Swyper out for walks in Palm Beach on a 30-foot leash and have taught her to follow commands such as sit and lie down.
They feed the nine-month-old Russian red fox with puppy food or their own leftovers, while chicken hearts, beef, eggs and Quorn are reserved as special treats.
Brandon Race, 32, and Jessi Ladd, 24,(pictured) take Swyper out for walks in Palm Beach on a 30-foot leash and have taught her to follow commands such as sit and lie down
Ms Ladd, who works at Victoria’s Secret, agreed that keeping Swyper as a pet was ‘fun’. They are pictured together in the car
The couple feed Swyper puppy food or their own leftovers, with chicken hearts, beef, eggs and Quorn reserved as special treats
The couple bought the fox in May this year from a breeder in Indiana. Swyper’s parents were freed from a fur farm when it closed, and gave birth to her shortly after.
After moving to Florida, Swyper was hand-reared on soft fruits, vegetables and pet food.
Mr Race said she has ‘free roam’ of their 900-square-foot house and is very friendly with several of the couple’s friends who come to visit, including one who regularly brings along two pit bulls.
The waste management worker said: ‘Swyper sleeps in the bed with me and my girlfriend and, if not there, the highest place she can find for her naps.
‘If I’m coming to bed Swyper usually follows and settles down at the end of the bed, although when she was younger she would sleep on my head.
‘I would compare her behaviour as similar to that of a “cat on drugs” due to the hyperactivity throughout the day.’
Swyper, who weighs 11 pounds, is ‘very playful’ but can be destructive, Mr Race said, forcing him to tape up their kitchen cabinets to stop her from getting in.
The couple keep Swyper healthy by taking her to the vet for canine vaccinations and regularly going out on walks.
Swyper, who weighs 11 pounds, is ‘very playful’ but can be destructive, Mr Race said, forcing him to tape up their kitchen cabinets to stop her from getting in’
The couple keep Swyper healthy by taking her to the vet for canine vaccinations and regularly going out on walks
Mr Race said Swyper has ‘free roam’ of their 900-square-foot house and is very friendly with several of the couple’s friends who come to visit, including one whom regularly brings along two pit bulls (pictured)
Mr Race said: ‘I take her outside in the fresh air, she loves the outdoors and rolling in the grass. I have to keep her on a lead, as that’s Florida.
We strongly discourage the public from acquiring wild species to keep as pets.
Animal Welfare Institute
‘All my friends come over and play with her. Her birthday is on April 24, so we might do a little birthday thing for her and invite other people in the neighbourhood.’
Ms Ladd, who works at Victoria’s Secret, agreed that keeping Swyper as a pet was ‘fun’.
‘She has a really playful personality, but it’s also challenging, she requires more attention and activity than any pet I’ve had before,’ Ms Ladd said.
‘She doesn’t cuddle much, but she loves being pet and getting ear rubs.’
Animal charities are opposed to keeping naturally wild animals in the house and the couple say they receive plenty of criticism.
The couple bought Swyper when she was three weeks old for $600 from an Indiana breeder in May this year, before hand-rearing her on soft fruits, vegetables and pet food
Swyper also enjoys the odd ride in the couple’s car as they travel around Palm Beach in Florida
But they insist Swyper has a better life at his house than she would do in the wild, as he is well fed and safe from predators.
‘I’ve got a lot of people who stop me saying she should be in the wild but I explain that she was bred in captivity,’ Mr Race said.
‘She would never be alive because in the wild they only live for a year and a half but with us she could live 20 years.
‘Her parents were taken from a fur farm and she was born after the farm shut down, but in other circumstances she could have ended up as a fur coat.’
Animal charities advise against keeping naturally wild animals as pets, and advise anyone planning to do so to conduct thorough research.
Animal charities are opposed to keeping naturally wild animals in the house and the couple say they receive plenty of criticism. Pictured: Swyper as a cub
Animal charities advise against keeping naturally wild animals as pets, and advise anyone planning to do so to thoroughly research their needs beforehand
A spokesman for the Animal Welfare Institute said: ‘As intriguing as it may seem to own a fox, we strongly discourage the public from acquiring wild species to keep as pets.
‘Dogs and cats have been domesticated for thousands of years; not so with wild species such as foxes.
‘Their needs are complex, they still maintain many of their wild characteristics, and they pose a potential threat to people and other animals due to the risk of bites, scratches, and disease transmission.
‘It is inhumane and unsafe to keep a wild animal in a home, and so we encourage the public not to engage in this latest fad.’
You can visit Swyper’s Facebook page here.
The couple insist Swyper has a better life at his house than she would do in the wild as he is well fed and safe from predators
Mr Race said he has had a lot of people stopping him saying Swyper should be in the wild, but he replies by saying that she was bred in captivity