Canines

These are designs involving canines, mostly foxes, but some others too.

The Pack

A pack of Cwn Annwn and friend off on a hunt. Cwn Annwn are the spirit hounds of Welsh legend. Most spirit/hell hound legends describe the creature as black with glowing red eyes. But the Welsh had white spirit hounds with red ears. I've taken a bit of artistic license and added random red spotting to go along with the ears. Their bodies are based on the build of sight-hounds like the greyhound, Saluki, Ibizan hound and Borzoi. The black dog is based on the stockier Rhodesian Ridgeback.

Size = 11“ x 16“ (14 ct.)

Let Sleeping Foxes Lie

Fennec foxes are small, weighing only around 4 pounds, but have enormous ears. They are nocturnal desert dwellers and live in arid regions of northern Africa. They don't have to drink very often, getting most of their water from the food they eat and having many adaptations for retaining water. Unfortunately, they are being hunted to be sold as pets, though as wild animals, they don't make good pets, being prone to running away and not being easily trained or house broken.

Separate patterns for each fox are also included so that you can arrange them any way you like.

Six fox size = 14“ x 8“ (14 ct.)

Four fox size = 15“ x 4“ (14 ct.)

Rude Awakening

These two fox like creatures are called kitsune, Japanese fox spirits. Kitsune are mischievous shape shifters who gain power as they grow older. The more powerful they become, the more tails they have. The most powerful kitsune have 9 tails. So, these two are fairly young. I imagine the blue one has just gained his third tail and has decided to let his less fortunate sibling know in a rather rude way.

Kitsune is also the Japanese word for ‘fox’. Foxes use their large ears to locate the rustling of mice hidden in leaf litter or beneath snow and then make leaps just like this to capture them. When the snow is very deep, the foxes sometimes end up with just their tails and hind legs in the air. It looks very funny, but is an effective hunting strategy when you're a small carnivore in deep winter.

Kitsune size = 15" x 11" (14 ct.)

Fox size = 14" x 10" (14 ct.)

Hidden

I am a dog person and have three highly active rat terriers. So, I am also partial to all canines. This design is a fox taking a break in some tall grass. I’ve often seen my dogs take this pose, all stretched out with their bellies flat to ground to shed heat, so it seems reasonable to expect that a fox might also do so after a long day of hunting. Foxes hunt small prey (mice, rats, voles, etc) and are more catlike in their behavior than their larger cousins. Except for coyotes, foxes are also more adaptable to living around humans than most other wild canids. This does not mean that a wild fox would make a good pet. No wild animal should be turned into a pet. Any “abandoned” cubs that are found should be turned into your local wildlife rehabilitator.

Large (top image) size = 15“ x 9“ (14 ct.)

Small (lower two images) size = 10“ x 6“ (14 ct.)

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