PREVIEW

AssetID: 35940681

Headline: COVER IMAGES CHOOSE BEST PICTURES OF THE YEAR: Fox And Hound Have Fun In The Welsh Snow

Caption: PICTURE SHOWS: Rosie the fox coming out of her underground earth (den) to meet her friend Maddy the terrier. In the snow, near Corwen, north Wales. .... STORY COPY: These charming pictures show furry best friends Rosie the fox and Maddy the terrier playing together in the snow. The real-life fox and hound pair have been pals since Rosie, 6, was hand-reared by photographer Richard Bowler. The pair live in a large outdoor enclosure on the edge of woodland at Richard's small holding in the Berwyn mountains, north Wales. Richard explains: "The two have been best mates since I took Rosie in as an abandoned cub and play together every day. Both love the snow and love snowball fights. We just throw the snowballs in the air for them to catch. It was very powdery snow today so they just exploded when they caught them. I was hoping for some more interactive shots of them both playing together but they just wouldn't do as they were told. Both are now sound asleep, knackered after a hectic hour or so of playing." Rosie was just a cub when she was left abandoned after her father killed most of her litter before the cubs had opened their eyes for the first time. After being adopted by Richard, she soon formed a firm friendship with terrier Maddy, a Lakeland Patterdale cross, who is now nine.

Keywords: British,Maddy,Rosie,UK,Wales,animals,dog,fox,friends,greeting,hand reared,snow,terrier,winter,POTY

PersonInImage: