This episode features references to the myths of kitsune that Ninetales was based upon. This episode could also be a reference to Hachiko, the dog well-known for his loyalty to his owner, even years after his death.
In the English version, Lokoko explains that when the master went away and never came back, the servants disappeared, but in the Japanese version, they had left or died.
In the English dub, Brock claims that he had a Ninetales of his own, but the Vulpix that he temporarily acquired from Suzie never evolved into Ninetales. He was once offered a Fire Stone to evolve him but turned down the offer in the first gen anime.