Pou, a Rescued Baby Fennec Fox, Is Looking for a Home, Michigan Pet Alliance Says

MICHIAWA (MZN) — A baby fennec fox named Pou is in the care of the Michigan Pet Alliance and looking for a permanent home, the rescue group confirmed Friday.

Pou — the smallest canine species in the world, native to the sandy deserts of North Africa — arrived at the group's intake center underweight and is now being hand-raised around the clock.

Who is caring for Pou

Pou's owner and primary caregiver is Dana Whitfield, a 14-year Michigan Pet Alliance foster who runs the group's small-exotics intake program out of her home on the west side of Michiawa.

Whitfield, 44, is a licensed veterinary technician and holds the state exotic animal permit that allows her to legally house desert species during rehabilitation.

She has hand-raised more than 200 animals, including three previous fennec foxes. Pou sleeps in a heated crate beside her bed and eats on a four-hour schedule she logs by hand on a clipboard.

'He picked me first'

Whitfield says Pou was surrendered to the alliance in July after an owner could not keep up with his specialized diet and heat requirements. He weighed 214 grams and would not eat for the first two days.

"He picked me first — he crawled into my sleeve and fell asleep, and that was that," Whitfield said. "I'm his owner on paper right now, but my job is to hand him to the right family."

What an adopter needs

The group is only placing Pou with an adopter who can legally hold the required exotic animal permit, provide a warm indoor enclosure and commit to a lifespan of 10 to 14 years.

Applications are reviewed by Whitfield and the Michigan Pet Alliance placement team, and a home visit is part of the process.