Watch: Fox Jaunts Past Suffern Home's Christmas Display

SUFFERN, NY — Heads up neighbors — a fox was recently spotted trotting past a Suffern neighbor's home. Video posted on the Neighbors app showed the animal take a brisk jog past a well-decorated home around 9 p.m. Dec. 27. The animal quickly disappears into the night.

Some pet-owners may feel uneasy about foxes playing nearby, but animal experts say they're usually best left to their own devices. While foxes can carry rabies, they typically avoid humans, though the allure of a tasty snack — such as pet food and unsecured garbage — can lead to a brief visit.

Unless they're rabid — which is very rare — or captured, foxes are not considered dangerous to humans. That being said, foxes can prey on small pets or livestock, such as rabbits, guinea pigs and chickens. That means pets should be kept indoors or housed in sturdy structures.

A typical adult cat is nearly the same size as a fox and has a "well-deserved reputation for self-defense," the humane society said. As such, foxes typically leave full-grown felines alone, unless they're kittens or under five pounds.

Most dogs are not at risk of a fox attack unless they have threatened its kits. Miniature dogs are "especially vulnerable to harm" from predators, though, including foxes.

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