Zeke & The Baby Squirrel

[David C.]

This morning, I let Zeke and Zora out for their morning pee.  Zora came back in the house quickly, as she knows she gets fed as soon she gets back in.  Zeke tends to linger a bit.   Today, he seemed to be lingering for unusually long time.  I went out to look for him.  After scanning the backyard, I found him near our deck, tail pointing straight out and tenaciously stabbing forward and retreating.  Following his gaze, I spotted a small rodent writhing on the ground.

At first, I thought it was a mouse that Zeke nailed and it was going through its death throes.  Looking closer, I saw the rodent had no eyes.  It became apparent that it was a baby of some sort.   Closer inspection revealed that it was a baby squirrel that must have fallen from the tree.   Zeke continued his stabbing and retreating, but never got closer than a foot to his potential quarry.   I immediately shooed Zeke back in.

A quick call to the Humane Society offered up the following advice:  Put the baby squirrel in an open box and put it back up in the tree.  Make sure you use gloves when handling the baby.  So, I did that.  All the while, Zeke continues to want to come back out.  He was so excited, he couldn't eat.

By the time we returned home, the box was empty, and had been tilted, as if something was trying to get in the box.  I saw no evidence of a predator, so we're assuming Mama squirrel got her baby.  Happy ending!

This was almost identical to an incident several years ago when Rudy-angel found two baby Robins.  At least in this case we have a happier ending.  It is interesting that seeing this helpless creature "jammed" Zeke's predatory instinct, as the baby birds had done to Rudy-angel.   Somewhere in their brains the puppers seem hard-wired to be sympathetic to young creatures, even if they are not puppers.

[David C.]

A somewhat unhappy postscript:

We found another baby squirrel on our deck today.   This one, unfortunately, was DOA.   I couldn't tell if it was already dead or if the impact killed it.   It was more emaciated than the squirrel we rescued yesterday, and we surmise that it may have died in the nest.  When mama squirrel went to eject it, she knocked out one of her live ones instead. 

Once dead, Zeke had no problems letting his predatory instincts take over.   As I went to bury it, Zeke snagged the carcass and began to run away.   One yell of "ZEKE!!!!" got him to drop it. 

We do know this is a different baby as yesterday's rescue was a female and today's baby was a male.

[Madderoos Mom]

Zekey, I knows you wanted squirrel tail stew awful bad and I'm sorry you didn't snag the creeter.  Maybe you can try possum next time.  They make excellent pie.



Madderoo  (who is out of her head and doesn't know what to do......but the prey instinct still kicks in when there's varmints about.)

[SNKSMOMSUE]

For real, you dropped it after one yell?
This is a disappointment.
You coulda got at least 1o minutes out of this.....
Tastes like chicken!

[David C.]

Zeke is a good boy!   He usually listens to me when I raise my voice.  However, at other times Zeke is, by far, the most stubborn dachshund I've owned.   Considering that the yardstick for stubborness was comparing to both Rudy-angel & Max-angel, that's quite an accomplishment.   

Zora is almost always a good girl.   Food sometimes makes her crazy, though.

[Doxherding Karen]

"I would rather train a striped zebra to balance an Indian club on his nose than induce a dachshund to heed my slightest command."  E.B. White

Words to live by–

Auntie Karen - indentured slave to Guinness, Beau, Merlin and Ima