~ ONE SQUIRREL ~ TWO PUPS
Wednesday July 20th, 2011

I was busy running the sweeper, and working around, when I realized it was just way too quiet around here. Two pups are never that quiet unless they are sleeping. So I went looking for Rags and Susie but I could not find them. I called their names but they did not come. I searched every room and front porch but no dogs.

My heart was racing because I thought they must have slipped out the door when I had opened it, so I went outside calling their names - well yelling their names actually. If they were loose in the mountain I would have to do a lot of walking to find them, unless they willingly came back.
But some how deep inside me I knew they could not have gotten out past me. So again I searched the house and then went out on the back porch. This is when I saw Rags backing out from a narrow space between upright freezer and window. I called Susie and she backed out of the same space.

Then I noticed bird seed and empty seed pods all over the rug and table from a bird seed feeder that was setting on the table.
HUH? Dogs eat bird seed? NO Way!
Outside there is a huge wood pile stacked under the windows, and we were hanging feeders from the porch eaves, and the squirrels were climbing
the wood pile and look in windows tantalizing the dogs when they got on the feeders. So we could no longer hang feeders there.
Then the realization really hit home, when I looked and saw one of the screens pulled down on one of our large opened windows and saw holes in the screening. The pups had the squirrel cornered but could not get at it because of big table board we had setting there.


Rags is a one year old minature schnauser and weighs 16 pounds
Susie is a very small peekapoo weighing nine pounds and will be year old in August 2011.

A horrifying thought came to my mind and I hurried to get the pups off the porch and into the house before there would be war.
I put the door in place over the doggie door so they could not get out on the porch again.  
I moved the table board and two mops out from the narrow space but the squirrel did not move. I am brave but not that brave to go
after a squirrel that is cornered, scared, and most likely MAD. So I waited for my hubby Joe to come home from work and together we figure some way to get it off the porch.

Joe came home and I told him we have a MAJOR problem which when I say that he knows it is MAJOR. I led him to the back porch, showed him the mess of bird seed pods and the screen pulled down and open window.
Then I told him the story and he went to the corner where squirrel was and said "HHHHMMM" and then said "I have an idea".
He went to his shop and got a large fish net with short handle, and a long pair of thick heavy gloves.
We closed the window, and opened the outside porch door. Joe reached in with the fish net for the squirrel still huddled tight in the corner. He caught it twice after a few nudges but the space was to narrow to get the fish net flipped over.

SUDDENLY the squirrel came flying out over the freezer, scaled the walls and back down into corner. Joe used a mop handle and touched it and out it came again, this time heading for the windows and
we are waving our hands trying to lead him to open door. When he headed for the door we were behind him, and that squirrel went a helling out the door, flew over the steps and down into the woods. WHEW!
I cleaned up all the bird seed and Joe brought the pups back in from the dog run. They proceeded to check every inch of the porch, looking for their new playmate. YEAH! RIGHT!
Would you believe that squirrel was so persistant, that he came back the next day, pulled all the screens down on those big windows looking for an open window. YEP!
Now we have to keep all the windows closed. This folks was just another day in the mountain with a critter acting naturally.
So were our curious pups, but thank God they could not get close enough to it to be hurt.
So let this be fair warning, if you have squirrels coming to visit and get a meal, keep your eye on your screens and opened windows.

We are also keeping a close eye on two very young raccoons that I saw roaming around the evening of JULY 26th.



~ Written July 27th 2011
by İBarbara L Chambers Carter aka Bluejay12 ~
Website maintained by Diamondavid ~
~ Song Title: ~ Acting Naturally ~
Is this natural in picture below? LOL!

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