Dear Diary,
I might be getting to old for these neighborhood patrol duties. The other day, I had to rescue the dadgum possum in the back yard – again. This was the second possum rescue in two months. (At least this one was in the afternoon and not at 5:30 a.m.)
I was alerted by my neighborhood patrol colleagues that there was an intruder in the back yard. Why the possum chose to take a stroll across the yard in the middle of the afternoon, I have no idea.
Jack and Arya had the possum surrounded on the path and were barking to wake the napping. Jack was creeping closer and closer — and my calls for them to come to me were totally ignored.
The possum was not playing dead — she had her head up and was showing her teeth. I could just imagine her biting one of them. So I came up behind Jack and grabbed him by the tail. I pulled him to me, picked him up, and hightailed it for the back yard gate. Once the two canines were with me on the house side of the gate, I closed it so the possum could continue wherever she was going.
Someone told me later that possums eat lots and lots of ticks. If so, I’m grateful to her. But I don’t want any more possum rescues. Please, Ms. Possum. Stay out of the back yard. And please, Jack and Arya, no more possum hunting!
Love,
Mom
Jack the Scottie 
I can understand your frustration, but what’s a mother to do? Dogs will be dogs!
Well. This presents a wild picture! I can certainly understand Mom’s reaction to the uninvited. Ditto, Jack’s and Arya’s response to the best find of the week. What IS the adult to do? Retrieve the doggies – yeah!
I was concerned about an opossum being out in daylight. Is it sick? I read http://opossumsocietyus.org/faq-opossum/#There is an opossum in my yard
and http://www.dfwwildlife.org/opossum.html
Not to worry (other than the neighbors’ response to the barking).
Possums be our fre’ns – if you can get past their not-endearing appearance. (A shelter I volunteered for took in an occasional beastie including, over the years, two baby “opies”; we learned them and became rather fond of them before releasing them to safe wild places upon near-adulthood. It’s possible to get over the gut reaction to their looks.)
It sounds like your back yard may be two areas with a fence/gate between – the wild part and the yard part. If so, can you keep Jack & Arya in the yard even though they will bemoan losing their exploration privileges? However, possums can cross fences so this isn’t a sure fix. Ms. Google tells tell me that possums are solitary so probably only one, not a clan or even a nest AND they keep on movin’ – this one likely is way far gone unless good food supply in your wilderness.
Good story! Kinda high price — your terror and annoyance and all that barking. Easy for me to be “Ranger Rick” at this distance. Possum teeth up close and personal are formidable.
Wow ! That was exciting. So, are Jack & Ayra still checking the yard for ‘her’ scent’ ? Lucy & Mac sure would be . Keeps ’em busy for a couple of days. Hope Miss Possom stay away .