Animal Control officers have now dropped charges against a Herndon, Va., woman who had been caught walking a fox around Reston Towne Center.
Alayna Sitterson, 20, had been charged with unlawful possession of wildlife after she was seen walking the seven-month-old fox Sunday morning, authorities said. She had apparently dressed it in a skeleton costume for Halloween.
After questioning Sitterson, they seized the fox, whom she called Swiper (no word if she was wearing a "Dora the Explorer" costume), saying she didn’t have a proper permit to own him. However, Sitterson told us that she was never given a permit -- because no such permit exists.
Animal Control officials said the fox is neutered and litter-box trained, and had been vaccinated for rabies.
Swiper spent some time in a local animal shelter while the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries decided whether to grant Sitterson a special owner’s permit. However, they ultimately determined that the fox was a domesticated breed and Sitterson didn't need a permit for him after all.
Sitterson got her fox back Monday around 7 p.m.
"I'm holding him," Sitterson told the Washington Post by phone.
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