A Blazing Blur of Fiery Fur

The ass end of winter tends to be unlovely in these parts. The piles of snow and ice by the side of the road are grey with intermingled soot and grit- even the most pristine snowfield has bits of schmutz on its surface. The world presents a dreary face, a monotone gray expanse. Happily, I had a run in with a red fox (Vulpes vulpes) which blazed across my path like a russet comet. While I didn't have an opportunity to photograph the speedy beastie, I took a picture of the tracks it left across our property:

Note the almost perfect "single file" exhibited by the prints, a characteristic of wild canids. In contrast, our canine companions leave two parallel tracks more often:

Those tracks were made by a friend of mine, the companion of my co-worker **REDACTED**. My co-worker sometimes brings him to work, because the property is perfect for an active, intelligent beagle/shepherd mix:

He's a handsome dog, well behaved too. I always enjoy when he comes to the site, though not all of my co-workers agree with me on this.