While reading the Disney+ description of the 1981 animated film The Fox and the Hound, you’ll  discover, nestled up with the rest of the text, a strange little creature: unlikely.  Call it a stray if you will, especially since the inclusion of this tag-a-long in the tagline implies this tale could have scurried off in a completely different direction.  Of course, if you were to ask anyone who’s ever watched the film, they’d likely agree it is inconceivable that Todd and Copper’s story could end any other way than how Disney animated it.  Meanwhile, for those who also have read the novel The Fox and Hound, which one do you consider the red herring?  

What we share perfectly sums up this story coming from the state known for greatness – from the Mall of America to its 10,000 lakes – that suffered the loss of someone who provided for the least.  News outlets began circulating a more tragic animal story that took place on Monday, June 23, 2025.  Along with various reporters providing information on the tragedy the husband of the late Mikayla Raines was also on hand to speak about his late wife’s work.  Through pain and tear filled eyes he told of the hope SaveAFox brought to the lives of Mikayla and others in addition to the horrors that found their way into Raines’ life.  Hearing the circumstances at the center of the death of animal rehabilitator and SaveAFox founder Mikalya Raines echoing the Messiah’s message in the 26th verse of Matthew Chapter 20.     

Though his mission was to give abundant life, even Jesus acknowledged that each of us played a part in the maintenance of this precious gift we’ve all been given.  From both a personal perspective – including protecting ourselves from what is viewed as impure – to a collective preservation of all aspects of our physical world.  Taught by the Rabbi in the form of parables – to confuse some and open the eyes of others – these lessons featured animals and objects as analogies for human behaviors and experiences.  Continuing this method after the Messiah’s death, the apostle Paul’s commentary in Corinthians correlates the human body with the church.  Today, with a world that extends beyond the doors of the church, it is also necessary to apply this thinking to our communities, cities and every country in civilization.  How as a part, a fraction of a larger “body” every action inevitably impacts the whole.  Our life’s, our stories are inexplicably intertwined, even if the inner workings and internal mechanisms are invisible to the naked eye.  It might sound like fairy tales and FantasyLand animatronics, but actually that is just how the body works.    

Want more proof, well buckle up and get ready to take a ride on Spaceship Earth.  

Of Mice and Mean(s)

By now you might be feeling like this article – and yes, the author – are crazier than a fox.  Or that like foxes, the plot has several holes.  It could be you’re missing the connection because instinctively, our human brains are programmed to initially only recognize and respond to the physically identifiable similarities that exist between two things.  Only after digging around in the dirt a bit do we begin to fill in the blanks.  As we navigate in the dark, eventually our routes crisscross, pathways become connected, and we begin to understand the deeper meaning of a situation.  Unfortunately, at times this occurs too late, leaving you to fill in the holes yourself.  What If becomes If Only.  

Meanwhile, it seems we’ve managed to tunnel back to EPCOT.  Obviously this wasn’t the only project on the table for the pioneer of Imagineering in 1966.  Care to wager on what film was in the very early developmental stages at the time?  That’s right, see the moment the original manuscript’s author, Daniel P Mannix, received the Dutton Animals Rights award, the creator of the club made for you and me was at the table with pen in hand to secure the film rights for Fox and the Hound.  However, in the almost 10 years it took to produce the classic at times it appeared unlikely the final animation feature greenlit by Walt himself would ever be completed.  Disagreements among animators arose, with one centered around changes the film made from Mannix’s version involving Chief.  Eventually the studio worked through this impasse, but what is interesting is although Chief’s fate eventually ended some professional friendships, by making another deviation to the orginal material the studio chose to play it SAF.

Maybe because Disney, like Raines, spent his younger years in the Midwest; the two growing up in Missouri and Minnesota respectively.  Sharing borders, along with similar terrains and ecosystems, allowed each to develop an interest in, an appreciation for and a dedication to protecting animal life and nature.  This is on display in both Disney’s True-Life Adventures and the videos posted to The SaveAFox YouTube page.  The difference, of the multitude of criticisms heaped upon Disney’s films – animated or otherwise – few center on exploiting nature and animals for personal profit.   

To be fair Disney’s library isn’t the only one – or the first – to feature animals, even at times insects, in the place of humans to entertain as well as impart a lesson or provide moral commentary.  Due to the fact that The Almighty’s declaration of mankind’s dominion over all other life on Earth included one amendment: coexistence.  And even beyond Hebrew history there are countless texts from various cultures containing lessons humanity only seems capable of learning from livestock.  Still, even after spending a year among the foxes researching his manuscript, Mannix maintained that humans can never truly understand the reasoning, the rationale of “animals”.  However, with a time honored approach of applying anthropomorphic properties it becomes possible to imagine how each unique lifeform has its own hopes and dreams.  How they each have their own share of problems.  Take the rodent in ‘To A Mouse’ who, like Job – the biblical book that inspired writer Robert Burns to create the poem – witnessed all their worldly possessions and loved ones taken away in an instant.  Interestingly enough embedded within the reminder that in the midst of every creature’s momentary misery The Universe is working behind the scenes,  there is another message that is often overlooked in the tales of mice and men.  Thank the stars for cartoons.  

The creative hilarity of the mouse’s rival studio, aided by the pairing of two animals who don’t particularly like one another, is on full display in Looney Tunes The Abominable Snow Rabbit.  This 1961 cartoon features the debut of Hugo – the abomin..abominib.., abominable snowman – by placing the Yeti in the shoes of the large migrant worker Lenny from John Steinbeck’s 1937 novel.  Hugo’s unforgettable line is as much a reference to Lenny’s love of “soft things” as the monster’s stammer is meant to remind us of the man’s mental disability.  Unfortunately due to both of these “differences” Bugs and Daffy only see Hugo the way characters in Steinbeck’s novel saw Lenny: a monster.  According to Steinbeck, Of Mice and Men was written to “help each of us better understand our fellow human(s).”  Kinda makes you wonder what Daffy really meant with his comment at the end of the cartoon’s story.  Was it in reference to Hugo’s appearance and demeanor or calling out those who judged, alienated and mistreated the snowman?  

Abominable 

Word World 

The BIBLE:  The Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth 

Using the title of the theological text book as an acronym, similar to the message delivered by the man billed the living embodiment of it, can both claim to be new things.  And like Christ, an acronym not only serves itself, but it represents the expanse – the words and phrases that it takes the place of.  EPCOT, Disney’s forever evolving, technological utopia, is just one example.   For another, ask anyone ever tasked with manning an IT Help Desk.  Almost every operator assisting callers with technical issues eventually encounters the PEBCAK.  In some parts of the world it may be known as PEBKAC, but they are essentially the same thing.  The same thing – the person is likely the cause of the problem.  Obviously this is an insensitive approach to someone in need of assistance, but for a small segment of computer users, specifically those spreading negative narratives and spouting nonsense on the world wide web, it is an accurate evaluation.  Especially when woven into the tapestry of the tragedy surrounding SaveAFox’’s founder and by estimates so many others.

Besides being a portion of the behavioral guide for several prominent religions, the Book of Genesis can claim something no other book can.  While there are numerous tales that open with Once Upon a Time, and just as many that start with A Long Time Ago, only one book begins with the ultimate declarative opening line – In The Beginning.   

Now, based on the text that many believers credit as the true creation story, the sixth day bore witness to man, and therefore all mankind, being made from dust.  And although God created them first, humanity was given dominion over all the other creatures on Earth.  Over the centuries this unalienable right has been man’s basis for using animals for everything from protection and transport to attire and food.  In addition to this authority The Almighty also bestowed upon Adam the honor of giving each beast their name.

Names – animal or human – are simply another form of words.  Like words they have a meaning, quite often carrying some social significance, and so like words they too carry a certain amount of power, be it the name Jesus Chirst or a surname engraved upon a family crest.  Whether it is a proper or pronoun, a homonym or synonym, an anagram, a symbol or a figure of speech, it is foolhardy to not for a moment pause to understand and fully appreciate their deeper purposes.  Plus, It’s kinda hard to believe that within the walls where the Disney writers work there isn’t one thesaurus.  So it’s safe to assume the authors could have chosen from several words other than “unlikely” in the description of Fox and The Hound.  

For whatever reason, history has hounded the fox.  The very traits – cleverness and cunning – that can transform a man into the Wolf of Wall Street instead turn the fox into a trickster.  Many assume something similar happens with the word likely when the prefix “un” is added.  That could be because we don’t really have as tight a leash on “un” as we would like to believe.  True, most times you encounter “un” it is being negative.  Unappreciated, unpopular, unwanted and unwarranted are perfect examples of “un” replacing the word “not”.  But like Copper’s plot in the Fox and the Hound portrayed, how you turn out depends on the company you keep.  Sometimes it is impossible to turn the root word negative, so the new word becomes a polar opposite instead.

To fully understand “unlikely” let’s return again to the one thing the Torah, the Quran and King James Version all have in common; an “unlikely” beginning.  After the voice of God uttered the phrase let there be light, the Universe became something “unlike” the bleak nothingness it was just moments before.  Then, in the Garden of Eden, creatures “unlike” any previously known to exist were brought to life.  In both of these instances “unlike” has nothing to do with someone’s preference, but instead points out something that is inspired and original.  Now, mankind “likely” would still be in the Garden if not for the “unlikely” actions of Adam and Eve.  Our days would all be the same, the sun always shining, save for a deviation from God’s plan.  At least that’s how it looks on paper.

Admittedly very few individuals reading this article would want someone to compare you to a blank page.  Yet John Locke, whose philosophical ideas helped produce laws unlike the divine rights that ruled over England and the United States in the 17th century, believed firmly that we all enter into existence as “tabula rasa”.  That only through our experiences – shared and individual – do we acquire and contribute to the collective catalog we refer to as knowledge.  Wait a second, so if anything made by humans is artificial, wouldn’t that make what we know artificial intelligence?  It really is a small world after all.

With the numerous other birds that bring beauty to the world through their song, there were many other candidates Atticus could have used as a metaphor in To Kill A Mockingbird.  But, with the choice of this particular passerine Harper Lee makes an interesting point.  The mockingbird’s name denotes its ability to sound like other birds.  And since that means they even can parrot a parrot, this can include mimicking humans too.  Perched beyond the subtext of stereotypes – racial, sexual and social hierarchical – the story’s central statement: every creature great and small has a purpose.  And their own struggles.  

So, who do you call when the going gets tough?

Animal, Veggie Tale…Shirt-Tales 

Even if it came from Hallmark it is impossible to imagine the Motion Picture Association of America giving a cinematic production of Genesis a G rating.  However, of all the graphic nature and adult themes contained in the first book of The Pentateuch, the naked truth is in the grand design nudity would not have made the list.  If you remember your Sunday school lesson it was the knowledge of their nakedness that led to Adam and Eve’s – and by extension our – unlikely story.  Of course they had some help from a clever, cunning creature.  According to Hannix’s novel this sounds like the text book definition of a fox, however, in both The Jungle Book and The Good Book all signs indicate the serpent as the sneakiest animal in existence.  

Meanwhile, anyone watching Act Two of Disney’s The Fox and the Hound will notice how humanity’s miseducation created a problem that produced the purpose Mikalya established SaveAFox to solve.  First, as Tod attempts to escape Chief, the fox runs right into the woodshed, allowing him to finally grasp what Big Mama was crowing about in Lack of Education.  A wall of drying fox skins – trophies to Amos and Chief’s hunting trips – startles Tod, waking him up to horrors the household, including the houndogs, engage upon.  Then, after barely escaping the barrel of  Amos‘s shotgun, Tod must deal with another shakeup in his young world.  Widow Tweed – fearful of Amos escalating his attempts to capture Tod – makes the tearful decision to release the fox back into the wild.  Tweed’s faith is that the preserve will offer Tod some protection from the hunter and his hounds.  Now even Nemo found a home – replacing opening day EPCOT attraction The Living Seas in 2005 – so just imagine how the fox must have felt that night as he struggled to find a den; a safe place to sleep.  

How differently a story looks depending on the page you pick to start reading.  The Parable of the Sower appears in three of the four gospels in the New Testament.  Yet, the Son of Man’s acknowledgment of lack of permanent residency on Earth can only be found in Matthew 8 and Luke 9.  Discrepancies, conflicting reports, and redactions are the type of situations that make modern society question the source.  So, how can you trust a gospel truth that wasn’t written down word for word?

Speaking of the word, the one gospel without the sower’s story sows the seed for a truly unlikely scenario.  See, while reading John 1 you will come across a familiar, famous line: In the Beginning.  Now pay attention, because although Genesis witnessed the Almighty creating the expanse, the expansion packs content not included in the Old Testament.  In fact, the revelation that the Rabbi was part of our backstory long before Bethlehem may actually be mankind’s first retcon.  Also, Jesus as Logos – the ancient translation for “the word” – adds yet another anthropomorphication for Mary’s baby to go along with Lamb of God and Balm of Gilead.  Considering Christ’s actions they reveal how overlooked intricacies, the incidentals we fail to take into account, can alter our perception and perspective.  

For instance, even after losing his mother, Todd wasn’t entirely without kin as both dogs and foxes belong to the same family: Canidae.  It was back in the early 18th century when Charles Darwin’s On the Origins of Species first sought to evolve humanity’s understanding of biology.  Yet, in suggesting that all species – despite the adaptations that altered their appearance – share a common lineage, evolution doesn’t exactly discredit creationism.  However, you won’t find the creature(s) who played a part in Mikayla’s decision to take her own life do not show up on any scientific hierarchy.  Adults may assume trolls exist solely in the pages of books like the Spiderwick Chronicles, but be aware they walk among us.  Although in the modern era of the internet they have developed abilities more commonly associated with gargoyles.  In the light of day, while facing the public, they present a stone front – portraying a persona that society finds pleasant.  However, hidden behind the veil the simulation supplies enough shade to conceal that identity.  Allowing the monster buried beneath the marble to break free.   

The wreckage Ralph’s visit caused to the internet was repairable, but not everything that occurs online is an easy fix.  Something worth considering as our society becomes more and more comfortable storing our treasures on Google Earth.  The sticks and stones of the past have become shattered screens.  Instead of broken bones, parents now must keep a watchful eye out for the death of 1000 cuts that occurs when their child is shunned or insulted on social media.  If you don’t see how the message from Proverbs 18 about the power of our words – being mindful of what we say and how we talk to ourselves and one another – is applicable to the web, just keep climbing this spout up to author E.B White’s 1952 children’s novel.

The secret lies with Charlotte.

The Birds and the Beasts

You have to admit humans have always been mesmerized by the exotic and fascinated with the undiscovered and unknown menagerie of mysteries that exist on our planet.  Take for example the attractions that captivated audiences in the 19th century worldwide.  For those visiting one museum in America, there was an explorer known for producing exhibits featuring eccentricities collected from his many expeditions: P.T. Barnum.  But, for all his popularity, Barnum was a bit of a fraud.  Turns out The Ringling Bros. & Barnum Bailey Circus showman earned part of his reputation from displaying one of the greatest shams on Earth: FeeJee the Mermaid.  

But for all the good the English born Newkirk’s nonprofit has done, critics argue several of the organization’s speciesism complaints could be resolved by doing what is in Romans 14.  However, with controversial ad campaigns to activities – at times as a colony and others as a drone – that sometimes border on acts of terrorism, PETA is no foreigner to drawing media attention for all the wrong reasons.  Even after successfully free Willy’ s family from Sea World and removing the animal cages from Barnum’s circus – and crackers – some ad campaigns aimed at ensuring animal rights have raised eyebrows among other marginalized groups, including women’s rights activists and even the autistic community.  Then there is the issue of euthanasia – a practice PETA, SaveAFox and other shelters seek to end by shutting down breeding kennels.  PETA’s use of the last resort both raises awareness of what PETA works to eliminate and also sadly prevents overcrowding in the clinic: two birds with one stone.  Finally, among these other tricks at PETA’s disposal, the nonprofit is known to purchase stock in companies to exert influence.  How do you decide when to break bread; when do you turn over the table?

Now, if anyone could convince the public that a camel could pass through a needle’s eye, it would have been Barnum.  Always performing, P.T. played so many roles.  Amidst the exhibits in the Barnum Museum, The Lecture Room was unlike any other theater of the time – offering inoffensive family entertainment with moral context.  And yet in the pursuit of profit, FeeJee wasn’t Barnum’s sole exploitation of the public trust.  P.T. played on an early form of FOMO, charging curious visitors an additional 25 cents to reenter because they couldn’t understand the signs and simply followed where they led.  

This Way to Egress

The Lying; The Which; The Wardrobe(?)

Acronyms aren’t the first instance of society simplifying, evidenced by many traditional definitions and uses of words all but erased.  For example, to some of you reading this a wardrobe is solely fabrics and fashion labels that make up your clothing and shoe collection.  However, earlier civilizations also used it in reference to a structure made of some different materials.  Then again for others, this “private chamber”  can only be a physical structure – such as a closet.  Finally, a few of you may possibly see that it parallels the kind spoken of in Matthews 6.  The inner chamber’s meaning extended beyond secreting oneself away behind walls and a closed door.  It is a location within the inner recesses of an individual’s psyche, where an introspective, heartfelt dialogue happens.

Unfortunately, due to her disease Mikayla’s internal monologue attempted to sabotage her sense of serenity.  And the devil on MIkayla’s shoulder – the one calling into question her efforts at SaveAFox, her self worth –  wasn’t acting alone.  An army of trolls orchestrated a continuous parade of online harassment that Ethan indicated his wife dealt with almost daily.    

The first wave focused on claims that SaveAFox misled the public relating to the nonprofit’s rehabilitation results.  This particular form of trolling relied on examining all of SaveAFox videos, suggesting foxes were swapped out and drawing questions about the health and well-being of the animals in Mikayla’s care.  Accusations of fox deaths opened the gates, unleashing the hounds; like any other beast, the internet “did its thing.”  Then there was the shaming and scrutiny that centered on the “nature” of Mikayla’s attire during SaveAFox various sponsorship segments.  Perhaps driven by their own basic instincts, these users felt the indecent appearance of Mikalya’s outfits falsely conveyed the organization’s image, which created concerns over SaveAFox’s integrity.  Making matters worse is that some of the cyberbullying, the bitterness, was rooted within the very community of animal rescue volunteers that Mikayla once called home.  

However, once you consider the schematics – or should that be semantics – between these two breeds of storytelling, you might recognize they are quite similar.  The claim that unlike applicability, an analogy is only author driven ignores how Jesus allowed the listeners of his parables – another form of analogy – to derive the intentions behind his message(s) to mankind.  Meanwhile, any accusation by Tolkien of misappropriation of mythology by mixing pantheons against Lewis should fall silent as The Silmarillion is guilty of the same.  But, to be fair, this one does partially contradict the current conversation since in the Lord of the Rings Appendix B – also known as Tale of Years – even though Tolkien chose December 25 as the departure date for the Fellowship, no further context was given.  In The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe not only does Aslan’s death and resurrection seemingly symbolize Easter, but Father Christmas makes an appearance in Narnia indicating the end of the Long Winter and hope’s return.  Still, not to be outdone by the one back here on Earth, Narnia’s Father Christmas also delivers gifts of the material kind, with their own unique purpose, to each of the Pevensie children.  But, in an odd twist of fate, you’ll never believe who was on hand to witness this miracle.  Can you guess what animal, once loyal to the White Witch, was willing to face certain death by not divulging to ensure the two “Son of Adam” and two “Daughter of Eve” could claim their places as heirs?  It was Mr. Fox.

It is unlikely that any Christian could hear SaveAFox’s mission statement – to “rescue and provide forever homes for captive born, non-releasable wildlife”  – and not find them identical to the Savior that Isiah prophesied.  An individual whose existence is unlikely, and yet the faith of and from that existence confirms nothing is ever truly unlikely.  However, as technology use, and abuse, evolves –  along with artificial intelligence assuming an increased creative role as writers, illustrators and photographers – the algorithm will eventually become the dictator, deciding the stories and themes that future generations learn from; their morals and motivators.  Despite how far we’ve traveled on the carousel of progress, our continued inability to consistently mimic many of the behaviors of the “lesser” beasts of the Earth – from their relationship with one another to their reliance on the Almighty – displays how far we’ve yet to go.  Mikayla’s loss is not  the first – and unless something changes soon – will likely not be the last death by suicide, or the last one life traumatized and torn apart by the actions of individuals online.  The actions of various denizens of the digital divide are an urgent warning that a new net is now cast.

Drawing All Men..