Black Girl in a Doggone World™

Black Girl in a Doggone World™

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Black Girl in a Doggone World™
Black Girl in a Doggone World™
Getting rid of pests in your backyard

Getting rid of pests in your backyard

When your dog thinks wild animals are wrestling partners

Shamontiel L. Vaughn's avatar
Shamontiel L. Vaughn
Aug 19, 2020
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Black Girl in a Doggone World™
Black Girl in a Doggone World™
Getting rid of pests in your backyard
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Photo credit: Sarah Brown/Unsplash

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.


ADVERTISEMENT ~ Amazon

As an Amazon affiliate, I earn a percentage from purchases with my referral links. I know some consumers are choosing to boycott Amazon for its DEI removal. However, after thinking about this thoroughly, I want to continue promoting cool products from small businesses, women-owned businesses and (specifically) Black-owned businesses who still feature their items on Amazon. As of the first date of Black History Month 2025, each new post will ALWAYS include a MINIMUM of one product sold by a Black-owned business. (I have visited the seller’s official site to verify that Amazon Black-owned logo.) I am (slowly) doing this with older, popular posts too. If you still choose to boycott, I 100% respect that decision.
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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.

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