Brazen fox ran riot in my home, says grandfather

11:20am Wednesday 13th February 2013 in News By Anna Roberts, Crime reporter

Fred Rossington caust the fox in his kitchen Fred Rossington caust the fox in his kitchen

A grandfather has described how a fox ran into his house and raced over his kitchen surfaces, scattering knives and smashing pictures.

Fred Rossington, who lives in Partridge Green, near Henfield, was at home when the fox raced in as he opened his front door to let his two springer spaniels out.

It sprinted into his living room and he started chasing it.

He described how he shouted to his wife to “stay out of the room” while the fox raced around.

The grandfather of five said: “It had no fear whatsoever.

“It just stood there on top of the Aga, looking at me.”

Mr Rossington continued: “It was surreal. It was in the door in a second.

“It charged around the room and I chased it. I have five grandchildren and any of them could have been in.

“I threw a kick in the fox’s direction and it ran out, over the sofas.

“It tried to get through a closed window, only managing to knock all the family photos to the floor and smashing the glass in the frames.

Human contact

“It then ran into our kitchen, leaping onto the worktop and scattering cooking knives.

“It then stood on the cooker – it was obviously used to human contact.”

Mr Rossington said he was prompted to tell The Argus after reading about baby Denny Dolan who was savaged by a fox in Bromley, London, last week.

In summer 2010 three-year-old Jake Jermy was bitten on the arm after disturbing a fox hiding beneath a temporary building at the Dorothy Stringer playgroup, next to the high school in Loder Road, Brighton.

Talking point: How concerned are you about brazen foxes? What can be done to put foxes off entering houses? Share your views by commenting below or email The Argus letters pages at letters@theargus.co.uk

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Comments(37)

Tailgaters Anonymous says...
11:39am Wed 13 Feb 13

Strange but do we expect a wild animal to wipe its feet before entering our premises?
Does said gentleman leave food for animals easily available in his garden?
In recent months I have had a fox scrutinise me from the garden through a patio door but it didn't knock and ask to come in!
Let's have a bit of balance in how we view matters, please!

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Cave Johnson says...
11:49am Wed 13 Feb 13

Oh do shut up. I seriously doubt this happened. And the baby being bitten story from last week is highly dubious to say the least. Tabloid driven hysteria fed by those with a political agenda.

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straightasadye says...
11:54am Wed 13 Feb 13

Looks 'bespoke' to me: and I bet the author is a hunt supporter.

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thevoiceoftruth says...
11:56am Wed 13 Feb 13

I'd say it was freaked out, hence running round the kitchen after he tried to kick it! I think in London where foxes are living very close to humans, there can be issues as the foxes are more confident. However, this wasn't an urban fox and if he had approached the situation more calmly, he could probably have encouraged it out rather than chasing it round the room taking pictures!

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mimseycal says...
11:59am Wed 13 Feb 13

To tell you the truth, I'm far more concerned about brazen humans then brazen foxes.

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Numi says...
12:01pm Wed 13 Feb 13

For heaven's sake - stop all this sensationalism. Of course a wild animal in a house would cause chaos - it's desperate to get out. It was probably being chased by something outside, which made it dash in when the door was opened. And what has having grandchildren got to do with anything? It's our rubbish that attracted foxes into housing areas in the first place, and having associated homes with food, that's where foxes will continue to seek it. Stop providing sources of food and fox numbers will plummet.

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wippasnapper says...
12:16pm Wed 13 Feb 13

If people stopped feeding them then maybe they would not be so brazen to enter peoples property – who’s to blame the fox or the people who leve food out for the cat, birds et or just in the rubbish sack if the seagulls dote get it the fox certainly will.

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Crystal Ball says...
12:16pm Wed 13 Feb 13

Yet more drivel peddled in the name of "getting a story".

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dhamallamafarmer says...
12:18pm Wed 13 Feb 13

For Fox' Sake! I like this fox, he's a true gent. While rampaging around, deflecting kicks and punches from homeowners and outwitting the dogs he makes a run for the window, finding it closed he starts smashing fixtures and fittings in a bout of pique but he is magnanimous enough to stop and pose for photos while standing on the Aga. Only after freezing for the shot did he 'hot foot' it out of there and effect his rascally escape!

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qm says...
12:18pm Wed 13 Feb 13

Obviously looking for a quick snack - there is a dearth of fast-food establishments available in Partridge Green! ;)

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Wiggsy says...
12:31pm Wed 13 Feb 13

"Fred Rossington caust the fox in his kitchen"

Dear Argus,

Is there some kind of contractual arrangement that exists whereby there has to be at least one basic spelling/grammatical error per day on any "news" story published to the website?

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Cave Johnson says...
12:32pm Wed 13 Feb 13

I meant i seriously doubt this happened as reported.

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billy goat-gruff says...
12:47pm Wed 13 Feb 13

Someone left some Findus lasagne out?

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Fairfax Sakes says...
1:05pm Wed 13 Feb 13

lol 'brazen' what a great word.
Anyway, about time someone sorted these pesky foxes out. Someone release the hounds!

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dawind says...
1:37pm Wed 13 Feb 13

So some numbskull called Fred lashed out at a wild animal...and said animal went a bit ..err...wild*.
*wild...it was abso-bloodly-lutely livid.

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RickH says...
2:17pm Wed 13 Feb 13

Let me get this right.....he opened the door to let 2 dogs out and the fox ran in? And the dogs just let this happen? Or did they run off scared of the fox? I suspect an excess of bovine excrement......

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getThisCoalitionOut says...
3:15pm Wed 13 Feb 13

Dear Evening Argus - did your reporter check if this man has any red jackets in his wardrobe? Is he a member of the Countryside Alliance otherwise known as blood thirsty thugs who support people who break the law?

If you get a fox in your house - which is really strange in the first place - do not kick or punch it, open a door to the outside world and let it out BEFORE TAKING ANY PHOTOS.

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a person says...
5:31pm Wed 13 Feb 13

To add to the foxes fear it could probably smell the dogs in the house.
It did not know the way out and would panic.
If a bird falls down the chimney and survives it also panics ,
flying into windows and walls trying to get out.
No one thinks children are in danger and that the bird will bite you though.

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mimseycal says...
6:36pm Wed 13 Feb 13

Oh, I don't know ... I got rather a nasty bite on my arm when a seagull mistook my open patio doors for the way to the seafront.

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Sussex jim says...
8:37pm Wed 13 Feb 13

Pidgeons, rats, foxes- they are all VERMIN. Opportunist thieves, like burglars and pickpockets.
Unfortunately, you are not allowed to kill the human variety (which probably explains why Kitcat and Lucas are still alive) .
Keep all foodstuffs secure, including waste, to avoid the wildlife intruding; and hide your cash and cards and lock your doors to keep out the bipedal lowlife.

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JoeBlow says...
4:23am Thu 14 Feb 13

Was probably looking for a partridge (green or otherwise). I suspect he'll be suing the village for false advertising.

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spider_web says...
7:04am Thu 14 Feb 13

Cave Johnson wrote:
Oh do shut up. I seriously doubt this happened. And the baby being bitten story from last week is highly dubious to say the least. Tabloid driven hysteria fed by those with a political agenda.
absolutely spot on......do us a favour grandad and stop cruelly treating these animals.

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lfcrule1972 says...
8:47am Thu 14 Feb 13

Some of these comments are very harsh, I think the Grandfather should be congratulated for being calm enough to stop and take photos during this violent assault.

He obviously isn't a technophobe so I feel like my taxes are being spent well in the sticks....

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redwing says...
9:09am Thu 14 Feb 13

I was so distracted by the size of this man's cooker I mistook the fox for upmarket tiling.

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Morpheus says...
9:10am Thu 14 Feb 13

All this chasing about and he still had time to find a camera and take a photo.

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whereisthe...? says...
9:14am Thu 14 Feb 13

Glad some posters here see this latest bunch of tabloid nonsense for what it is.

"Ran riot in my home"(!)


Maybe it was scared..? Moron.

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jamus77 says...
11:22am Thu 14 Feb 13

It's was a frightened fox, not a rabid Rottweiler! What did he think it was going to do to his wife and five grandchildren?? There are around 6,000 cases of dog bites in England every year. Do we hear calls for a mass cull of dogs? All these hysterical, ridiculous stories about a few foxes prove that the media is a headless pack of sensationalist morons, interested only in appealing to the lowest common denominator.

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runnergirl says...
2:00pm Thu 14 Feb 13

I sometimes think the Argus does this on purpose ... I mean, "brazen" (dictionary definition: shameless or impudent)? If someone is acting brazenly, surely that suggests there is some purpose to what they are doing? How much purpose do you think a frightened fox is capable of? Intelligent journalism is what we need, not this tosh. Love the photoshoot, by the way. Lucky for grandad he happened to have his camera handy, before he took a kick at a defenceless animal. Perhaps he'd better get his story straight before the RSPCA come knocking.

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melee says...
5:59pm Thu 14 Feb 13

Isn't it rather dangerous to have all those cooking knives lying about on the worktops when you have so many grandchildren? Oh but they weren't in, so they were quite safe from knives and foxes. No need to go chasing/kicking the fox and yelling like a madman to people to keep out of the way. Keeping the exits clear and being quiet would have been much more effective in removing the fox without all that destruction. Not such a good story though.

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MIDNIGHT COWBOY says...
6:58pm Thu 14 Feb 13

This story is total rubbish-what an idiot that man is.

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Euly says...
9:05am Fri 15 Feb 13

Utter nonsense, total media hipe . We have lived alongside foxes for many years without this hysteria. I am still laughing at "He described how he shouted to his wife to “stay out of the room” while the fox raced around", what an idiotic man

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K_W_FOWLER@hotmail.com says...
12:17pm Fri 15 Feb 13

Why did the fox make a mad dash to get out of a closed window, damaging loads of "crockery" ? - so would I if someone was attempting to kick me in the head!

"The fox is obviously used to humans" Why? Because it just stood on the cooker and would not move? Maybe it was trapped and could not actually go anywhere if this man is blocking it in!

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K_W_FOWLER@hotmail.com says...
12:22pm Fri 15 Feb 13

I saw another letter in the Argus the other day claiming we need a cull of all foxes because they are "vicious beasts".

These "beasts" have been hounded out (literally!) of their natural environment i.e. the countryside. Now, some people want to clear them from the towns as well. I assume that we humans are the only part of the animal kingdom allowed on this earth.

I bet these people would provide comfort to human "beasts" i.e murderers, rapists etc by providing counselling to the poor little dears!

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runnergirl says...
7:27pm Fri 15 Feb 13

dhamallamafarmer wrote:
For Fox' Sake! I like this fox, he's a true gent. While rampaging around, deflecting kicks and punches from homeowners and outwitting the dogs he makes a run for the window, finding it closed he starts smashing fixtures and fittings in a bout of pique but he is magnanimous enough to stop and pose for photos while standing on the Aga. Only after freezing for the shot did he 'hot foot' it out of there and effect his rascally escape!
Couldn't agree more! So here's the story: fox runs into old man's kitchen, old man kicks it and chases it out again. Er ... that's it. A large toad hopped up the stairs into my front room one evening, the cat went mental, I caught the toad in an upturned bin and returned it to the garden. I realise now of course I should have phoned the Argus and fabricated some rubbish around evil scheming amphibians brazenly invading human living space and deserving nothing less than total extermination.

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straightasadye says...
9:34pm Fri 15 Feb 13

K_W_FOWLER@hotmail.c
om wrote:
Why did the fox make a mad dash to get out of a closed window, damaging loads of "crockery" ? - so would I if someone was attempting to kick me in the head!

"The fox is obviously used to humans" Why? Because it just stood on the cooker and would not move? Maybe it was trapped and could not actually go anywhere if this man is blocking it in!
......... it stood on the cooker and wouldn't move for only one reason. Not because it was waiting for supper to come out the oven but because fluffy stuffed animals don't move of their own accord: and if that's a proper live fox in the picture then my prickly cactus is a kipper.

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jesss2012 says...
10:42pm Fri 15 Feb 13

I say on the aga too old chap..how dastardly of the brazen creature...I hope one set ones horses on it.

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Juleyanne says...
9:23am Sat 16 Feb 13

What next Argus a headline of Fly, Bird Wasp or Woodlice enters home and is chased 'out the window'! The species here just happens to be a fox 'get over it'.
The general consensus here is leave the fox alone and be highly suspicious of those who try to the 'jump on the fox bashing wagon', they are more likely than not to be pro hunt supporters/countrysi
de alliance posing as vulnerable householders! If they can hoodwink the public into fearing the fox they believe it will help sway their argument back in favour of barbaric fox hunting. Laying bait is what they do, don't fall for it!

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