Family of unexpected Visitors keeps visiting man’s Backyard, quickly made themselves Right at Home

“I didn’t realize they were so playful”

A few months back, some adorably unexpected visitors began dropping by Shawn Davis’ backyard in Illinois.

It was a family of local foxes — and they quickly made themselves right at home.

It all started one day in May, when Davis spotted a pair of young foxes hanging out near his patio.

That first encounter came as quite a shock.

“We had never actually seen a fox kit before and were really surprised they were in our yard, since we live in the middle of a residential neighborhood,” Davis told The Dodo.

The baby foxes apparently found that first visit entertaining — and they let the rest of their family know it.

“After that, we started seeing more and more foxes,” Davis said.

Before long, the visits became a regular thing.

The fox family consists of a mom, dad and their five kids. They started dropping by just about every day to rest, relax — and, of course, to play. 

“Our yard is very private and I think they just felt safe there,” Davis said.

“They would curl up and sleep under the trees in the daytime and then play in the morning and at dusk.”

Davis and his family loved watching the foxes so much, he decided to start filming them so others could enjoy it, too.

“Since the pandemic has kept us inside, it really became the highlight of the day for me, my wife and our daughter,” Davis said.

The foxes sure put on a show for Davis and his family. “I didn’t realize they were so playful,” he said. “They were very cute little critters.”

As time has gone on, with the young foxes growing more and more independent, the visits have become less frequent. But, with any luck, they’ll eventually start new families — perhaps keeping in mind Davis’ yard as a peaceful place for their future kids to nap and play.

“We miss seeing them as much and would definitely welcome them back next year!” Davis said. “It was a great experience for sure!”