WERKSHOP X Save A Fox Rescue

It is with such a heavy heart that I write this memorial message for a beautiful soul who left us far too early. 🙏🏼 When I read the tragedy of Mikayla’s passing, I was left utterly speechless. 💔

I only got to hang out with Mikayla for one day, in April 2024, when we launched the Save A Fox X WERKSHOP Collab and I flew to MN for this photoshoot. She was such an incredible person. Shy at first … but by the end of the day, we were hanging out with her Snakes and African Jackal babies and I felt so welcome in her home. It breaks my heart to have heard the news of her passing and I sincerely wish I would have reached out more often over the last year. I can only imagine how hard it must have been for her to handle all the pressure of running the rescue so publicly on social media while also struggling with depression. the internet can be such a cruel place. it is NOT OK to bully anyone ~ in person OR online.

I created this artwork after being inspired by Mikayla and my love for protecting wildlife. Words cannot express how excited I was when Mikayla later invited me to MN to do the photoshoot and meet the foxes in person. And now, looking back, I feel blessed that I got to meet her and see first hand all the love she poured into the rescue. I hope for her heart and legacy to live on 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼 sending love to her family and all she left behind.

♡ RIP ♡

Below you will see my interview with Mikayla for our collaboration.

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Save A Fox Rescue, located in central Minnesota, is on a mission to rescue and provide forever homes to captive-born, non-releasable wildlife.

I poured my heart into the artwork for this Save A Fox Athleisure Set and cannot wait to hear what you think! A portion of the proceeds for every Save A Fox item will directly benefit the rescue. ♡

Mikayla Raines of Save A Fox Rescue wearing WERKSHOP X Save A Fox Athleisure Set

Last weekend, I had the pleasure to travel to Minnesota to meet with Save A Fox founder, Mikayla Raines. I got to tour their facility and meet their resident foxes, shoot some awesome content, and sit down for a little Q&A:

When did you start Save A Fox Rescue?

2017 was when I officially started as a nonprofit rescue, but I have had foxes before then. My mother was a rehab-er so I got to experience raising an orphaned gray fox when I was 15. It was amazing. I named him Niko and he hooked me for life.

How many foxes would you estimate that you have rescued to-date?

Oh gosh, with our big fur farm rescue mission, we have rescued almost 300 in just the last 4 months. I don't know how many total, but it has been a lot. We rescue and place a lot of foxes with other educational programs and with people who are experienced and licensed to have them. And then we also have our permanent residents who have been here for a while and we could never give them up to anyone else because this is their home.

In your opinion, how do foxes differ from having a dog as a pet?

Well, foxes, in a sense are a lot more like cats because they do things on their own terms. They aren't always excited to see you. Also, their pee smells really bad and they aren't really able to be potty trained so they do not make good candidates for indoor pets. They can also be very destructive. They are very smart, though, and can be trained to do some agility work which is really fun for them.

People don't typically realize that there are still legal fur farms in America. How can we educate people about this since they may be unaware of the issue?

The best thing for people to do is to teach people check their labels and to not buy fur products since foxes are killed only for their fur; their pelts are not a food industry byproduct. And also makeup. There are a lot of mink fur farms in addition to fox fur farms and mink are harvested for their fur and oils. People should also be sure to check that their mink lashes are faux.

Where I commonly see this as an issue is at Renaissance Festivals. People will buy fox tails and wear them. They buy them because they love foxes ... but they don't realize that most of these tails are not ethically sourced.

Save A Fox Rescue, located in central Minnesota, is on a mission to rescue and provide forever homes to captive-born, non-releasable wildlife.

How long does a fox typically live in the wild?

In the wild, they typically only live two to three years because of diseases, people hunting them, and then getting hit on the road through loss of habitat. In captivity, they can live ten to fifteen years if they don't have any health issues. Sometimes foxes bred in a fur farm will tend to have more health issues because they are bred for specific coloring, etc.

What do you love about WERKSHOP?

We love that our collaboration with WERKSHOP is handmade in the USA. I absolutely love their fabrics. I, myself, am very particular about the texture of fabric on my skin and the athleisure fabric is super soft. It's super high quality. Even before partnering with WERKSHOP, I had bought multiple sets from them. I love their unique designs - especially the animals. I have the pit viper snake set and the spooky season bats, too. I love them!