Unwelcome Guest

Look what we caught beside our house! We've had trouble with racoons travelling from our yard to the neighbor's all summer. And now that it is winter, we're still having them. We somehow became the racoon highway. All night long you can hear them jump to the fence and clatter over to the next yard.

So, I decided to catch the little fellows in a nice live animal trap. I set this trap up with a roasted chicken wing. Then I put it on the cement brick wall just the other side of our iron gate that leads to the side yard. The next morning, when I let the dogs out to potty, they roared over to the fence like maniacs. They must have had a scent. I ran back and found some slippers and a bathrobe because it was a cold morning. There, in the trap, was this huge possum. It was hissing and showing its fierce little teeth to the dogs. The dogs, of course, were beside themselves with the thrill of the "hunt." So I put the poor possum in his cage over by the woodpile so that it could rest a little before being relocated. Later in the day, Dale took it to Chamber's Creek park and let it go. Hopefully it makes a new home there and never finds itself back in our trap!

So, now I have to reset the trap and try again for a racoon. Obviously they are smarter than the possum, since I haven't gotten a racoon yet......