Eddie Chapman's excellent little book "The Working Jack Russell Terrier" has a nice section on handling foxes that should be read carefully for those that have a fondness for all their fingers.
Even though you think it is safe to get hold of him, you should always be on guard and never give a fox an even break.... Even if he is nearly dead, he is just as dangerous and if he is not dead, he may be shamming and be very dangerous
My recommendation is a light weight pole snare -- something that seems to not be used in the UK for reasons I cannot fathom. Of course, to be fair, the British banned badger work more than 45 years ago, and now do not allow fox to be let go at all.
Glad to be an American!
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Eddie had the reflexes of a terrier himself. I saw him holding a shovel, standing in a creek at the mouth of a tunnel when the dog came backing out with his face and chest dripping "honey" from being sprayed underground by a skunk. The dog still had the skunk by the leg. Eddie moved astonishingly fast, grabbing the dog and sticking his head underwater, quickly rubbing the spray off his face and tossing him to safety. In almost the same motion, he was delivering a series of lethal blows to the skunk with his shovel, while also using it to carefully toss aside a couple of enthusiastic other dogs who wanted in on the action. It was over in maybe two or three seconds, the skunk was dispatched and everyone had his dog safely in hand. Eddie's shovel had been a blur, but every lick was delivered with precision and control. He knew exactly what needed doing.
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