Getting rid of pests in your backyard
Getting rid of pests in your backyard
When your dog thinks wild animals are wrestling partners
My parents hate squirrels, and I simply cannot blame them. One small hole in an attic roof lead to a pregnant squirrel unleashing her family all over my mothers’ portable closets. They chewed out the eyeballs of my childhood dolls and chose He-Man characters from my brothers’ collection. Castle Grayskull became a home away from home. Oddly, our German Shepherd was too terrified of falling down the steps (she fell once and has an elephant memory) and would never accompany my terrified mother upstairs anytime she needed more clothes.
311 City Services refused to do anything because squirrels are a “protected” wild animal. The only thing they would budge on was putting down a trap to humanely take them outside. (The squirrels never fell for it.) Thousands of dollars in renovations later, and the squirrels are gone. But the disgust for squirrels remain.
Recommended Read: “My dog brought a baby possum in our home — lucky us! ~ When hunting dogs love the chase and wreak havoc in your home”
By the time my German Shepherd brought a baby possum into their home, they’d had enough. My grandfather grabbed his BB gun, drove over and got to work. (I, personally, wish they would’ve let it play dead and carried it outside. But I’m also speaking from the peanut gallery of someone who didn’t watch her ceramics go flying to the ground when the baby possum decided to hang out in their dining room.) R.I.P. to the possum.
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So when my mother decided she wanted a smaller house dog to join their family, she was all set to look at PAWS Chicago. But the wild animals are at it again. Three possums have set up shop at a home three doors down from my childhood home. I, personally, did not think it was a big deal unless they ended up going into my parents’ yard. However, this past Christmas, I was dog boarding a Chihuahua/Pomeranian mix and walked it around my old neighborhood.