Brittany and the possum

[Carolk9s]

Last night, getting ready for bed, I gave the dogs their bedtime cookie and let them out for a final potty. Candy, as usual, zipped down the yard barking at some real or imagined 'threat'. There are a few neighborhood cats who sometimes stop by so she's always on alert and ready to chase. Anyway, I let Jesse back in, Candy pops back in via the doggie door soon after. I'm brushing my teeth and finishing up, ready to turn in. I was about to close and lock the door, thought, let me make sure Brittany is in bed. She is generally quiet and goes to 'her' bedroom and gets on the bed. Hm, she's not there. She's not on the couch, she's not behind the chair, must be still outside. I go to the side door and call her, no response. I go to the back door, don't see her, she does not respond to me calling her. Flying against what I know, that the yard is secure and that nothing horrible has happened to her, I feel a touch of unease. Where is Brittany. I have a much too active imagination and wonder did she get out somehow? Is she ill or injured? My back porch light does not illuminate the entire yard so I grab the lantern and go out, Candy is with me. Candy is acting nervous and a bit freaky, let me tell ya that does not slow my racing heart a bit. Ah, there is Brittany, what the heck is wrong with her. She was crouching and being very still, my heart threatened to leap from my chest. Finally she reacts to my voice and looks at me but stays put. The realization that she has either caught or cornered a critter seeps in. I sneak up closer, what the heck is that! A dead squirrel? A rat?!? Oh, it's a possum! Playing dead in quite a convincing manner. Silly me. It is the first possum I've ever seen here. Not the first possum they've cornered, they did that at my moms house a couple of months ago. Here I am in flip flops, I told possum to play dead a bit longer while I get the dogs in. Had to almost drag Brittany away, her eyes were shining, she was on her toes, in full critter control mode. I knew possum was most likely just playing dead but I wanted to be sure so after coming in and turning off the outside lights, I waited a bit. Letting the girls come with me, I went back out, sure enough possum is gone. Whew! So glad, I would have been upset had Brittany actually killed possum. Not to mention grossed out.

[xavierandrea]

:o :o
I personally would have been scared to death..... Possums gross me out dead or alive... Thank goodness your furbabies and yourself are safe and sound...

[Carolk9s]

xavierandrea napisał(a):

:o :o
I personally would have been scared to death..... Possums gross me out dead or alive... Thank goodness your furbabies and yourself are safe and sound...

Oh yeah, I was kinda grossed out, no doggie kisses last night thank you very much!

[sarahmyjoy]

one night i let my girls out and they went raceing down the stairs and under the deck and WHAM right in to the fence just barking like crazy!! :o it was so dark out side i couldnt see what it was that they were putting up such a fuss about so i got a light and looked around. there is a small tree that came up to about the bottom of the deck about 9ft i think and sitting in the very top was a young opossum. :eek:

[courtnek]

possums are pretty common here....in fact, I think there might be one living under my shed. Laurel has dug a hole there and puts her face in it and keps trying to dig whenever she's out. Hunting dogs....I put a crate over it to keep Laurel out. There is still some room on the sides for the possum to get out if it needs to. But not enough for Laurel to get in...or stick her head in. She still stands nosed up to the crate, trying to figure out a way around it.

you cant stop their natural instincts. You can only protect them as best you can.

:fadein: :fadein:

[imported_Kat]

Aww you lot get cool wildlife like Possums. I've never seen a possum before! We just get foxes and moles and the likes of that :P

[Carolk9s]

Kat napisał(a):

Aww you lot get cool wildlife like Possums. I've never seen a possum before! We just get foxes and moles and the likes of that :P

I shudder to think of moles! Not because they are creepy, though they are just a bit, but because of the holes that would result. Between mole holes and holes dug by Candy & Brittany trying to get the moles, I'd have craters! It's a real pain to be walking along behind the lawn mower lost in thought then WHAM! &*#@*$ just stepped in a hole! 8)

[courtnek]

we have foxes here too, and coyotes, but they dont normally venture in close to the houses. I live in a "neighborhood" where it is mostly houses and businesses, but fairly close to a number of forest preserves and the fox river, where the foxes hang out. The possums, and raccoons and skunks are not afraid of people anymore. They wander right into the 'hoods and raid garbage, build dens under houses and sheds, and pretty much make themselves nuisances. I did have to evict some skunks from under the shed a few year ago, since they are NOT afraid of the dogs and the smell is unbearable....but the possums dont bother me. I just dot want the dogs getting bitten by digging into their den trying to get at them.