Playing Possum
Jun. 1st, 2022 10:24 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
billroperThe weather turned temperate here today, so the air conditioning was turned off and the back door spent the day open so Ruby the Dog could come and go at will. This generally makes her very happy.
Tonight, Gretchen and I settled in after sunset to watch some TV. Ruby went out and started barking. Constant barking.
After a bit of this, Gretchen said, "I wonder if we have another raccoon," which was the signal that indicated that the big, strong man should go investigate this and get the dog to stop barking. I paused the TV and headed down toward the bottom of the yard where I found Ruby barking furiously at the fence. I told her to cut it out and go inside, but she was having none of that. And finally, her head emerged from the bush.
With a possum in her jaws. A pretty large one.
Oh, great.
I called out to close the back door before Ruby took her trophy in. That was successful and she stopped halfway up the yard to drop the motionless critter and inspect it. At this point, I told her to go in, she finally listened, and went in through the temporarily opened door.
I figured that there was a fair chance that the possum was playing possum. When I went out to check later, there was no dead critter in the yard, so it appears I was right.
With luck, the possum will decide that some dog-free yard will be a better place to roam.
I hope.
Tonight, Gretchen and I settled in after sunset to watch some TV. Ruby went out and started barking. Constant barking.
After a bit of this, Gretchen said, "I wonder if we have another raccoon," which was the signal that indicated that the big, strong man should go investigate this and get the dog to stop barking. I paused the TV and headed down toward the bottom of the yard where I found Ruby barking furiously at the fence. I told her to cut it out and go inside, but she was having none of that. And finally, her head emerged from the bush.
With a possum in her jaws. A pretty large one.
Oh, great.
I called out to close the back door before Ruby took her trophy in. That was successful and she stopped halfway up the yard to drop the motionless critter and inspect it. At this point, I told her to go in, she finally listened, and went in through the temporarily opened door.
I figured that there was a fair chance that the possum was playing possum. When I went out to check later, there was no dead critter in the yard, so it appears I was right.
With luck, the possum will decide that some dog-free yard will be a better place to roam.
I hope.