This really is a thing, foxes like shoes. I had a fox steal my shoe on a beach in Virginia. It was at night and we were sitting on the beach with our shoes off. A fox cautiously approached, circled a bit, got closet and closer and then grabbed one of my shoes and started running off. I fussed at him and chased him and he dropped it after a short distance. IIRC this beach was known for its relatively tame foxes.
This really is a thing, foxes like shoes. I had a fox steal my shoe on a beach in Virginia. It was at night and we were sitting on the beach with our shoes off. A fox cautiously approached, circled a bit, got closet and closer and then grabbed one of my shoes and started running off. I fussed at him and chased him and he dropped it after a short distance. IIRC this beach was known for its relatively tame foxes.