These things climb trees!?!?!?

The dog was going nuts along the fence near the front yard the other night.  I thought that was odd.  Then I noticed that she was looking up into the tree. 

The opossum was in the tree.  The tree was outside of the fence, so technically he wasn't in the yard.  I did throw some sticks at him (and missed by a mile).  So I got out the garden hose and got him good and wet.  He just climbed higher.  Luckily he was out of sight at that point and the dog was willing to come in.  I'm hoping that he died of hypothermia.  I doubt it though.  The dog was going nuts along the back fence again last night.  I went out and looked 3 times and never saw anything.  I don't know what she was upset about, but I'd bet that the thing was out there.  I don't know how, but she picks up stuff like that.

Really? Another opossum?

Unbelievable...  Either the opossum I killed and buried the other day rose from the dead, or I have another one. 

It was either this morning or yesterday morning that I noticed chicken feed on the ground and that the feeder was kind of low.  I thought it was odd, but I don't check it too frequently.  So I figured that it was just low.

I feel like a broken record writing this...  Tonight I let the dog out.  She was out for a while and then I heard her barking.  I went out to see what was going on.  Sure enough, she was in the chicken area where she's not supposed to be.  So I got my boots and my flashlight and saw a dang opossum on the other side of the fence in the woods.  The dog was going nuts running along the fence and stopped frequently to look over.  The opossum sat on the other side glaring at us.  It had its mouth open and teeth on display.  It didn't move from its location even after I threw sticks at it.

The chicken food was already put away.  I got a log and used it to block the gap under the gate.  I'm guessing that's how they are getting in.  Then I brought the dog in.  She got a drink of water and went right back to the door to go out.  I'm letting this one go (this time).  Hopefully it won't come back. 

Thankfully I have a dog.

Opossum Update - For the last time.

I've had a problem with an opossum.  It came back again Sunday night.  I let the dog out like I usually do.  Ten minutes later I was ready to go to bed so I went to call her in.  She wouldn't come.  I got a flashlight and my boots and went out.  I saw that she was inside the chicken area.  I knew instantly there was a problem.  She knows better than to go in there.

I got down there to find her in attack mode.  She cornered the opossum under the coop.  This time it wasn't playing dead.  It was in fight mode too.  It was standing up with teeth out.  My dog was having none of that.  She was ferocious!  She had teeth out and was snarling and growling at it.  I remember thinking how glad I was that I wasn't on the receiving end of that.

I went and got a shovel.  I used the shovel to get the thing out from under the coop.  Then the dog went at it.  I got her to back off and then whacked the opossum with the shovel.  It went down and the dog bit it.  Blech!  It was still moving a little, so I got the dog back and whacked it a few more times.  It stopped moving so I tossed it over the fence into the woods.

Monday morning I went out to check and it was still there.  I dug a hole and buried it.  I really didn't want to kill it, but that was our third encounter.  I think it's been coming in at night and eating the chicken feed.  It seemed like I was going through an awful lot of it.  I thought it was because of winter and the chickens were just eating more.  I was putting the feed in the shed at night but didn't always remember.  Anyway, hopefully it won't be an issue any more. 

Thankfully I have a dog.

Opossum Update

Well, I didn't kill it.

I let the dog out again last night.  She went nuts running along the fence.  She kept standing on her back legs to see over.  I went out with a flashlight to see what was going on.  There was the opossum sitting in the woods 10' or so away from the fence.  He just sat there.  I had the chickens locked up and all of their food put away.  Then I blocked off the gap under the gate with a 2x4.  The dog and I went back out 3-4 more times.  Eventually the opossum left.  I heard it heading down into the woods and saw some brush moving.  I guess it decided that invading my yard again was not a good idea.  Hopefully that's the last I see of it.

Why you need a dog.

I've always considered myself a cat person.  I like cats.  They are independent.  You give them some water, food, and a litter box and they take care of themselves. 

My wife is a dog person.  She wanted a dog.  And while I don't ever remember agreeing to get one, I said that if we got one, I wanted it to be a big one. 

So what happened?  I came home from work one day to find this.

She went to the local SPCA and got a 7 lbs. pile of fuzz.  The cats were not happy.

A year later and she looks like this.

The SPCA said that she was a Shepherd/Chow mix and that she'd be 50-65 lbs.  Well, they were right about the weight.  She's about 60 lbs. now.  I'm not so sure about the breed(s).  She does have a shepherd look to her even though her ears only stick up when she's excited about something.  She doesn't have the blue-black tongue of a Chow.  The groomer said she has the coat of a Border Collie.  And she sure is smart, which Collies are known for.  I taught her to shake in a day and to roll over in two. 

For a while I thought she was pretty dumb.  I think it had more to do with her being a puppy.  She just wasn't careful or graceful (remember, I'm used to cats).  Her mode of operation appeared to be, "Oh look!  Something interesting!  I'm going to hurl my massive body at it as quickly as possible and hope for the best!"  At which point she was trip, tumble, fall, or crash into something.  She'd get up and walk it off like nothing happened and the thing she was chasing (generally a squirrel) would get away.  She still chases squirrels, but she isn't quite as reckless now.

Speaking of chasing things... It's just been in the last two months that she finally stopped chasing the chickens.  She never hurt them.  She just liked to chase them and get them riled up.  It was probably the herding instinct.  Anyway, she got smacked a few times and finally figured out that she had to leave them alone.  Now she gives them plenty of space when she's in the yard with them. 

So what is the point I'm trying to make with this post???  Last night I let her out into the yard.  I heard her barking which isn't unusual.  I went out to see what was going on.  I called and she wouldn't come in (that is unusual).  She was making a lot of noise.  I went to see what the fuss was about and caught her going under the fence into the chicken's area.  "Uh-oh." I thought, "She knows better than to go in there."  So I rushed around through the gate and what did I find?

 

Eek!  A dang opossum!  It was dark, so I went back inside and got a flashlight and a camera.  I left the dog to keep an eye on the thing.  

Thank goodness for the dog!  I had actually left the door on the coop open last night.  It very easily could've gotten in there and killed some or all of the chickens.  I counted the chickens to make sure they were all there and then promptly closed up the coop.  The opossum was not dead.  I could see it breathing and every so often an ear would twitch. 

At that point I needed to figure out what to do.  The dog kept poking it with her foot.  Then she'd bark at it profusely.  The chickens were safe, but she was not going to let it alone.  So I got a soccer ball sized rock, and hit the thing with it.  It didn't move, but it looked like it was still breathing.  Then I picked it up with a shovel and tossed it over the fence into the woods.  I felt bad, but what can you do.  They are disease carrying, chicken eating rodents.  I don't want it around here.  

When I went out this morning it was gone.  I'm assuming that I didn't kill it and it wandered off.  Either that or something bigger picked it up and carried it off.  In either case, I'm glad it's gone, and I'm glad I have a dog. 

Having a dog is great.  She's always happy to see me when I come in the door.  She's alert.  She let's us know when someone comes to the door.  And best of all, she's scaring away critters that are snooping around the chicken coop.  I guess you could say that I'm now a dog person.