My Pet Fox

Thanks to the previous post and admittedly sappy video, you guys are aware that Lupe went to see Swiper recently.

This blog has always focused on Swiper’s life and development. Now that he’s 2 years old, There’s not much development left for him to… um …develop.
Now the posts should focus more on momentous occasions in his life.

With that being said, these posts normally focus on Swiper, but I’m going to go ahead and fill you in on the story of my trip as well. You don’t have to read it. I don’t want to bore you. So I’ll give you fair warning when Swiper comes up. You can put your brain on autopilot…nnnnnnnow!

Lupe’s Trip:

After moping around the airport for countless hours with little guarantee that I would see takeoff, I stuck to the initial statement: “I WILL WALK TO SWIPER IF I HAVE TO.”

Thankfully it didn’t [really] come to that. I had to work with a standby ticket, though I was extremely fortunate to have a spot on every flight… because I fold easily into the overhead storage! Aaaaaand one lady let me sit on her lap. -shudder- :(

To kill time between flights, I hopped around hiding my mypetfox business cards throughout the terminals like some kind of demented Easter Bunny. Did you find one? You’re welcome.

Finally, I managed to touch down in the correct state and airport… Just at the wrong time. 10:30 pm, to be exact-ish. It was already too late to visit with Joe and Swiper for that day, so all that was left to do was get to the hotel and drift off to an awkward, unfamiliar sleep.

…Too bad cab fare to the hotel cost $1 arm + $1 leg. ):

After the taxi guys found out I didn’t have the scratch to put their kids through college, they disregarded me completely. I swear, those guys couldn’t even give me a slight nod in the direction of the public buses. Not even a nod to a sign that could get me to the buses. Rude.

So, I reluctantly grabbed my backpack and laptop case, then slumped on a bench outside the airport; stranded.

W/e. That’s not the point. I calmly walked away with my dignity in tact. Which probably sounded like: “NO, DON’T WORRY ABOUT ME. I’LL BE FIIINE- Oh, wait, are those buses? Found ‘em! FOUND THEM MYSELF, THANKS!”*

*…probably. ~~in my dreams.~~

Thankfully, the gentleman who drove the bus from the airport was extremely helpful. He didn’t even charge me to ride to the bus center, since it was his last stop of the night. I think he took pity on me. lol. Before he let me go, he described my route in perfect detail and helped me feel confident I could get me to the right place on my own. :)

Good news, right? I thanked him & went inside to buy a fare card. The time was 11:30 something. Waaay past my bedtime. I remember yawning as the card machine spat out my change, and opening my eyes to see a homeless man had appeared out of nowhere, asking for money. As the pushover [that he could probably tell] I am, I gave him $2 out of the $14 that I had left to my name… And he did something no other homeless person has ever done to me. He asked for more. o_o

Idk why, but I was blown away. I don’t know if it’s because I was exhausted and frustrated at my own situation, or if I was just so upset that he shamelessly approached me to take the money that I didn’t even have to give… perhaps it was just because he didn’t bother to say please. Any way you write it, this made me do something I’ve never done before: snapped at a stranger. A homeless stranger.

I bent down to pick up the coin that fell out of my hand and he said ‘Now give me that dollar you dropped th-‘

before he could finish the word “there,” I whipped around and snapped “Beggars can’t be choosers.” He seemed shocked. He must have had me pegged me as a bleeding heart. While he was correct to a certain extent, he really crossed the line when he tried to take advantage of my kindness. I think he became aware of that, too. As he put both his hands up, he stammered “Y—You’re right.” before quickly retreating to the bench behind the change machine.

I just yelled at a homeless person. If my grandmother knew, she’d only be half as ashamed as I was. While this weighed heavy on my conscience, I took a seat on the ground outside the bus station to isolate myself from others and wait for the next bus.

There, just when I thought I could catch my first break of the day, the manager informed me that the next bus I needed … had already left before I even got there.

Can you say “end-of-my-rope?”

I’ve just missed my flight, missed my bus, yelled at a homeless man, and now I’m stranded and a total jerk! :(

…But Lupe V.S. does not give up.
I explained to the man (named Eric) my situation from beginning to end. I showed him my tattoo of Swiper, gave him my card and told him how important it was for me to get there.

I should have tried that a long time ago.
Eric understood.

Though things were going to be a little different from my last plan… I’d have to catch the metro instead of another bus.

D: …..

ughhhh— BUTLUPEVSDOESNOTGIVEUP.

This is the amazing part: Eric personally saw me to the train, then mapped my new route for me once again. He introduced me to the driver, who made sure I got off at the right stop. And when I did… There was Eric! Again! (Anybody else convinced he is a wizard?)

Idk how he beat me there, but when I got off the train, Eric was waiting to walk me to my bus stop! He said the most reassuring thing I’d heard that night: ‘I talked to the bus driver already. She knows exactly where you’re going and she’s going to drop you off right in front of your hotel.’

:’) I hugged him!~

From the minute I walked up to the airport bus, until the minute I was dropped off at my hotel, every single driver and employee went out of their way to see me to my destination. I never realized how easy it is to take these kind of things for granted, but these individuals did more than they had to in their transportation jobs. They worked together to provide excellent care for a tired, overwhelmed nobody. I’m taking this much time to write about it, because they really deserve the careful attention they paid me. Thanks again to everyone who took care of me and helped me find my way!! I would have never made it to Swiper without you guys.

Um. So yeah, one more bus and I was at the hotel.

When my head finally hit the pillow, I was scared to look at the time.
The clock said it was 2:04 am.
ughhhhgh. :(

A few hours later, I crept out of bed and got a ride from Joe’s father to their home!

WAKE UP. SWIPER STUFF STARTS HERE:

Luckily, the experience was nothing short of breathtaking from this point on. Joe’s father and I pulled into the driveway and before he opened his door, he pointed out the window to Swiper’s kennel off in the distance. My heart must have skipped a beat. I made sure to get out of the car quietly and not draw attention to my presence. Once I got inside, not only did I finally got to meet Joe, but I also had the privilege of meeting his family and their pets!

As soon as I stepped inside Joe’s door, I knew there was something special about his house. I often found myself in awe of the beautifully detailed wildlife portraits Joe painted and hung on the walls. I lost track of how many he had prize-winning ribbons on. :) Not to mention, his family was so gracious and thoughtful that I didn’t want to leave!

I’ve got to say, I wound up being extremely jealous of Swiper! He traded in one stressed-out blogger companion for an entire loving family. <3

Sweet move, Swypez. I’m thinking of growing my mustache out and getting Joe’s family to adopt me as a pet, too! -applies chia seeds to upper lip- This will do just fiiiine.

Honestly? I was worried about seeing Foxface again. I often thought of how sad I would be if he wouldn’t remember me after all we went through… Or worse; what if he disliked me? These thoughts alone were really disappointing, but I kept reminding myself I had to accept it as a possibility. :|

One thing was for sure: I had to know!

As Joe and I made the initial walk out to the kennel, I turned on my camera and tried not to get emotional.

Sure enough, he was just as I remembered. Full of energy, wagging his tail and thrilled to see Joe and I!

It was amazing to see him again! I was overwhelmed to say the least. Watching his furry little face light up at the sight of Joe and I… it was difficult to fight off the tears of Joy. :’)

Soooo… Did Swiper remember me?
Joe and I like to think so.

In order to draw a definite conclusion, I had to have something to compare Swiper’s reaction to. I previously asked Joe to record Swiper’s initial reaction when he approached the kennel, took that video and compared it to the one I shot of Swiper’s initial reaction when I approached his kennel. :)

The findings: Swiper was happy to see both of us, but had two very different reactions!

When Joe approached Swiper’s kennel- Swiper was curled up comfortably on his wooden box. Once he noticed Joe, he jumped down and stretched! He wagged his tail and bounced around at the door to inspect Joe through the fencing. It was cute! Swiper did not vocalize, but was obviously happy and excited to see Joe.

When I approached Swiper’s kennel- Swiper noticed me immediately, jumped down off his wooden box and ran up to the fencing. He flipped out. Almost ike he saw a ghost. He put his ears back, tried to bite me, then wagged his tail and licked me, then bit me again. All before he ran around the kennel at top speed, just to come back and bite the air! …….. and run around the kennel again, vocalizing on and off.

I feel like he might have been startled to see me at first, but once he remembered me, he calmed down significantly. :) We got to hang out in the kennel like old times, practicing tricks and playing with his toys… The best part was having Joe & Aurora there with us!

Here’s what Joe’s wrote about the reunion:

…I have to admit, I was a little apprehensive about letting her inside the kennel, because I wasn’t even sure if Swiper would still remember her. However, once she was inside, my concerns were alleviated. He was really good for her! He did all of his tricks - sit, shake, and lay down - and was even up on her back, and nose to nose with her. He never really tried to bite her, and if he did, she sternly told him “no” and he stopped trying. However, she wasn’t able to get a collar on him, either, so it’s not just me. It was just so wonderful to see her and Swiper together and to give them a chance to see each other again. She also brought me a bunch of Swiper’s baby photos, and showed me lots of photos and videos of Swiper on her laptop. She was disappointed that he wouldn’t let her cuddle him like he used to, but the thing is, even if she had kept him, he might not have let her do that past a year or so - in my experience, foxes generally don’t like to be held or cuddled once they are adults. She took lots of photos and videos of him, and I took several photos of her with Swiper, as well as some videos. I’m not sure if I will post any of the photos here or not. Regardless, I was so happy to finally meet her and to give her the opportunity to see her fox again. She is so grateful to me for all I’ve done for Swiper, which was a big relief for me. Admittedly, I was concerned about that, too, because he used to live inside, in her apartment and now he lives outside, in a kennel. But she said he looks so good and is doing so well, it really made me feel good…

Heh, that’s true. He didn’t want to snuggle, but Joe’s explanation makes sense! Too bad. Back in the day I could have just scooped him up and slipped the collar of his head, nbd. BUT HE’S A MAN NOW. And he doesn’t need me babying him. ;o

I mentioned to Joe that I expected to be way more emotional over the meeting/reunion. You know how people say “I promised myself I wouldn’t cry!” as the tears flow down their face? Well I promised myself I wouldn’t cry. And… luckily there was no reason to break my promise!

Once I saw Swiper interacting with Joe, jumping up on his leg, running in circles and wagging his tail… I realized … Swiper really loves him. Just as much, if not more, than he used to love me. And the bonus comes from the fact that he’s even happier than I could have ever made him.

& Why would anybody cry over that? :)
I still can’t stop smiling. <3

From the moment I laid eyes on him, to the day I said goodbye, I’ve only wanted two things for Swiper; for him to be happy and healthy. Joe’s found a way to accomplish that and take that to the next level. It’s because of Joe that both Swiper and I can both sleep peacefully at night.

I look forward to revisiting Joe, his amazing family and both of his awesome foxes as soon as I possibly can.

Oh…and one more thing…

Donate to Fox Wood.
They are a nonprofit Wildlife Rehab.
We’re not affiliated.
Swiper just loves them.
Real wildlife needs your help.

- very seriously,
Lupe V.S.

video

Full, written update coming soon. I stayed up all night finishing this. It was made entirely on my broken phone that the lady at the apple store says isn’t under warranty.

w/e I didn’t want that stupid warranty anyway.

Point is: I’m about to pass out due to lack of sleep. NIGHT NIGHT <3

text How to tell if Lupe has been to your airport

… this also applies to your local chipotle. haaaayyyy~

So just in case the title didn’t give it away clearly enough… Lupe has visited an airport! And the fact that this blog is giving mention of it means it must be relevant to Swiper!!!

… Any wheels spinning yet?

YES, LUPE IS EN ROUTE TO SWIPER J FOX!

Some would say giving him the middle initial ‘J’ is in bad taste…
I would say: YOU BUILT A TIME MACHINE… OUT OF A DELOREAN?!

But I digress.
You’re here for the airport/Swiper stuff.

After waking up at the stink of dawn, I managed to round up my airport crew and promptly head out. ‘Great,’ I thought to myself, ‘Things are going according to plan. & I’m finally going to see Swiper and meet Joe after over a year!’

… Way to speak too soon.

As we drove down the airport access road, it was half an hour ‘til takeoff and we saw something abnormal…
Brake lights.
Tons of them.

…It was an accident on the AIRPORT ACCESS road!

By then it was too late. We were stuck on the 2-lane service road with NO EXITS & only 30 minutes between my round hinders and that sweet, sweet airline seat.

Hey, guess what. We missed the flight.
No joke.

I arrived at the airport a good 45 minutes after my plane was already in the air. Now I know what you’re thinking: “Lupe, just flap your arms and fly away by yourself!” WELL I ALREADY TRIED AND I CAN’T DO IT. My hair keeps getting in my eyes.

If it hadn’t been for that major accident on the access road, I would have been on time with one or two moments to spare. I begged with the man at the ticket counter. I knew there was not much that he can do as an employee… And it wouldn’t have been fair of me to get upset with him over something he couldn’t control… However, I was already VERY upset with the choices given to me by the airline company.

What was their solution? Charge me an extra $100 and move me to a flight waaaay later, or just accept the $300 loss and go back home.

Here’s how I responded: ;______________;
Here’s how my wallet responded: x_x

I believe the gentleman could tell by the look in my drippy eyes that I was NOT about to fork over $100 for something that could not have been avoided.

After much more pleading and crying at the ticket desk, Idk how he pulled it off, but he managed to get me on a flight for the same day later in the afternoon… without charging me a penny.

My man! :D

But that’s where we’re left now. Lupe is stuck at an [undisclosed] airport, waiting to fly for an [undisclosed] amount of time to Swiper’s [undisclosed] location.

Is it difficult? yes.
Does the word ‘undisclosed’ make me feel like a secret agent? kinda.
Is it worth it? You bet.

If I have any more updates between now and Swiper, you can find them here.

Until then, I’m off!
-runs away flapping arms and making swoosh noises-

photo

Trip: Planned
Flight: Booked
Hotel: Reserved

Trip to see Swiper? HAPPENING SOON!

If you want to get in touch with Lupe before this excursion, then do it. Or don’t. I DON’T EVEN CARE.

- LupeVS@mypetfox.com

text Hello?

…BRB GOTTA RESIST THE URGE TO ADD “IS IT ME YOU’RE LOOKING FOR”

ahhhhhhghghhhhfffrgle ok.

I think we made it through this time… But there’s no telling what’s going to happen next time.

But I decided to title this post “Hello” ~~because I lost track of the exact number of days~~ because it’s mostly just communication between Joe and I.

As usual the conversation starts when Joe is amazing and sends me pictures and updates of El Dr. Foxface up there. Read it now, wordslave:

Hi Lupe,

I thought you might like to see some new photos of Swiper I took on 3/7/12. I had wanted to take some on 3/6/12, since that was a year ago that I first met Swiper, but I had to work so I had to wait a day. I love how happy he looks in the one photo! He’s doing well and is pretty content in his kennel. I still wish he’d let me put a collar or harness on him, but that will have to be up to him. Hard to believe it will be a year on 3/30/12 that I brought him here to live with me. I just wanted to let you know he’s doing well and show you some new photos of him. Aurora is also doing well, and will be 13 years old next month! She has also adjusted pretty well to living in her kennel.

Well, I hope to see you sometime this Spring! Meanwhile, take care!

- Joe

Sigh… A year. It’s been one year since I last saw Swiper all cold and wet in his snowy new home at Fox Wood. The one thing that still brings tears to my eyes… When I picture my confused little Swiper sitting down after I gave him the command to ‘Stay,’ and left him in his new kennel for the first and last time. As soon as the door closed, He immediately hopped up and scampered back up to me. With tears streaming down my cheeks, I knelt down and let him lick my hand through the fencing. The owner of Fox Wood stood out in the snow with us and reassured me that he would be okay. I hugged her and she started to lead me through the snow and back to my car. As we walked away, I couldn’t help but look back at him… he seemed dumbfounded; frantically pacing around the kennel and only stopping to stare at me. It was the first time I walked away from Swiper and did not come back. And now, after over a year, I still cry as if it happened just five minutes ago.

WHOA… SORRY GUYS… THINGS JUST GOT /REALLY/ REAL WITH ZERO WARNING. I am so sorry. Um. yeah. I didn’t mean to get all gloomy on you. There’s a happy ending to that story, remember? That’s how Joe met Swiper! And Joe is the reason that Swiper is the happy little dude you see at the top of this post! I guess I was just trying to stress the fact that I realllllly miss my beloved fuzzball. If you don’t believe me, (lol) maybe my response to Joe will prove it:

Hey Joe!

Thank you so much for the pictures, He looks so amazingly happy! And look at those pearly whites! You’re taking such great care of him. He’s so lucky to have you in his life! :] I like how he’s sitting and looking up to smile at you. Does he still remember how to sit and shake on command?

Also, I’m dying to know what your schedule looks like so I can come up for a visit! I now have a prepaid ticket, so all I need is to put it to use!

Let me know what would work for you! Hopefully we can finally get to meet sometime soon!

Thanks again for all that you do, Joe!

-Lupe

Ohhhhhhhhh yeah. This is finallllly happening! After that birthday disappointment, I would happily /walk/ the kajillion miles to Joe’s house before I let anything stand in my way. srs.

But look, Joe wrote back! Hooray!

Hi Lupe,

Swiper does still remember how to sit and shake - I don’t always remember to do that with him, but sometimes he just does it automatically when I have a treat! Since it got warmer out (well, more or less), I’ve been outside a lot more so I’ve been able to spend more time with the foxes. He still likes to chew on my arm but I still think it’s just his rough way of playing. Still, I wish he’d just let me pet him without having to do that - the funny thing is, he lets me pet him just fine through the chain link, but when I go inside with him, he seems to like to get more rough. Maybe it’ll just take time - I read at a forum about pet foxes that it can sometimes take them years to really adjust to a new owner. But he does seem to like me, just he likes to be rough with me.

Anyway, as far as scheduling, I’m …

** Hi, Lupe here. I’m taking out this part because it’s about Joe’s schedule and I want all of you to leave him alone. LEAVE HIM ALONE.**

…But other than that, just let me know what’s good for you.

Well, I hope to hear from you soon! And you’re welcome - I’m glad I could give Swiper a good home. :)

- Joe

A good home? Wow, nice understatement, Joe.

Anyway. That’s where we’re left! The ball is in my court. I’ll be writing to Joe ~~later tonight OH DEAR JEEZ IT’S 2 AM~~ soon and getting to meet him, Aurora and all of Swiper’s new friends.

If you have any questions for me, I’m thinking of doing one last FAQ before I get to see Swiper again. Anything you’re curious about? Anything you’d like to see in a new video? Better say it now. Because I said so. and I hate your face.

(Send your words to: LupeVS@mypetfox.com)

P.S. 2 cuuuuuuuuute Swiper faces under the cut. :}