Grant: Yes, it's the back yard. We put up a night-vision camera to ID what was pooping repeatedly on one section of mulch ... it was a fox! Then the second night we noticed a tennis ball lying near the camera - not ours. Don't know where it came from, but she (based on squatting to pee) likes it. I'm making a collection of clips of the fox and the ball - she's very agile and throws it for herself. =========== V8Vega ... It's a grey fox, and they can climb extremely well. It's probably climbing over our fence somewhere - there are several places where it would have a short jump or a good take-off spot.

Glad you think it's useful, LOL. It's goofy, I know, but it DOES help show relative size. I play a little tennis, and I work near a big resort with tennis courts (I scavenge them from the street and shrubs when no one is playing (to make sure they're not about to go retrieve them)), so I always have a few handy. Once they get too tired or dirty, I give them to the neighbor's poodle to play with. Take care, Grant

Thanks for the feedback. We could take the dog on a trial basis which I think would be ideal considering the resident cats. We are taking a week off over the 4th of July so I thought that might be a good time for the trial. The guy did tell me about grooming - every eight weeks. I said, gee that sounds like my hair appointments. He said yes, and probably about the same price if not more. DH is the one who really wants a dog. I actually think the running part is a minor factor but need to discuss that further. I think he (DH) would be equally happy going to the park and playing with the hound and a tennis ball. The dog loves chasing tennis balls. I did ask if the pooch has ever been home alone all day since the mom is now a stay at home mom. It was for about five years so that is reassuring since we both work during the day. So now I'm carefully considering if we are really willing to take on the commitment of getting home on time to let the dog out and figuring out what to do with the dog on vacation. The cat sitter comes to check on the cats. This dog has never been to a kennel and I don't like the idea of leaving a dog at a kennel - have heard some horror stories. DH's office isn't very far from home so it wouldn't be unreasonable for him to run home during the day if he was going to be late. I kind of feel like this opportunity has presented itself and maybe it's meant to be. It's the perfect dog for me - need to find out more about what DH thinks. Need to decide if we're really ready for a dog. I think these dogs live 12-13 years - true?. So it would probably be at least a five year commitment.

Joel, I got a light up ball that is made from a very dense rubbery material.....it was given as a sales promotional thing. It would actually be a little small for a 70 lb. dog, but maybe they make them bigger. Mine is about 2 1/2" diameter. Guess you could google for sales promotion companies, then see if have it in a larger size. You'll probably have to buy about 10, since their deal is to sell to companies for advertisement stuff.