Well this taught me a few things.
#1 - I was careless. I should have put them on the harness and leash and walked them into the yard. At 6 am I should have known better. Since I know we have fox in our neighborhood, I have seen them early in the AM and and night. I think I just thought since it was so light and sunny out, and I am not used to bringing dogs out to potty, I just got relaxed...
#2 - It really doesn't matter if you have a fenced in yard. Wild animals both big and small can find a way in. So I have to be on alert, since we have a large yard and we live sorta in wilderness.
#3 - That really when faced with a potential dangerous animal, I, under extreme pressure WILL risk injury to myself to protect my dogs. I am thinking about it, and I really, really thought it was a rabid fox that looked like a coyotee, and I would have been ok getting attacked, as long as I protected my dogs.
...so I do believe a HUGE lesson has been learned, I also am happy that I can 'react' properly when put 'in that position' - I just hope it never happens again
Yes, this weekend we will check the entire fenceline, my hubby wants to find where he got in and fix it. We are also working on getting rid of the dirt/fill mound, as it is obviously attacting the fox - thinking they can set up camp "Fox Hole" is sooooooooooooooo true....
I found photos of a Wild Red Fox, YUP that's what was right in front of me
I am STILL feeling uneasy - this is horrible.