Maggie, her husband Kyle, and their son Ethan were excited to start over in the new house they had just bought. Christopher, the previous owner, had died, and his daughter Tracy sold the house so that a family could love and remember it.
But their fresh start took a strange turn when a dog started coming to their yard every day. They fed him because they thought he belonged to a neighbor, and he would leave without a fight. He would always get there at the same time every morning, though, as the days went by.
Ethan became attached to the dog and talked and played with him like they had known each other for years. Maggie watched from the kitchen window and was glad to see her son happy after a bad experience at his old school.
Ethan found a worn-out leather collar with the name “Christopher Jr.” written on it one morning. Maggie got chills when she thought about the link to the previous owner of their house.
His behavior changed as Christopher Jr. kept coming to see him. He would walk slowly around the edge of the yard and look into the woods, as if to invite them to follow. They chose to follow the husky because Ethan was very interested in it.
At times, the only sound in the forest was the snapping of leaves under their feet. Following twenty minutes of walking, Christopher Jr. came to a small area where he saw a pregnant fox caught in a hunter’s net.
Maggie and Ethan quickly freed the fox, and with Kyle’s help, they took her to the closest animal hospital. Christopher Jr. went with them and wouldn’t leave the fox’s side.
The fox had to have surgery, and the family was very nervous as they waited. As soon as she woke up, her sobs filled the building until she looked at Maggie and stopped.
The vet said, “She seems to know that you helped her.” The fox, whose name was Vixen, got better in their garage and had four kits.
Maggie, Ethan, and Christopher Jr. went to see Vixen every day as the kits got bigger. They built a den in the forest and let the kits out when they were old enough. The three would come over every weekend, and Vixen would greet them with her kits close behind.
Maggie’s family’s chance meeting with Christopher Jr. began an unforgettable journey of kindness, trust, and love, creating a link between people and animals that can’t be broken.
