Red in tooth and claw
A friend and I were walking with our dogs in the woods when one of them started to chase something, then there was an almighty squeal from the dog. She'd caught and picked up a grey squirrel, which had promptly bitten her nose. She quickly dropped the poor thing and came running back to us, blood streaming out of her nose, which is pretty vascular part of any mammal's body. Her muzzle was covered in blood, which she was trying to lick off, and her legs were all spattered with it. My friend then threatened to faint, so I had to sit her down with her head between her legs while I got a hanky and pressed it on the two puncture holes in B's nose. After a bit the bleeding stemmed and then stopped, but it wasn't easy holding a hanky to the nose of a 3 stone mut who didn't want the attention.
Then I checked on the squirrel, it was still there and a pretty bad way, but I couldn't get close enough to it to get a proper look. I thought of putting it out of its misery, but couldn't bring myself to do it. It kept looking me in the eye, and edging away. I wish I had had more bottle, but clobbering such a tiny thing felt like such a violent act I just couldn't do it. I just hope it didn't for suffer too long.
I hate hitting things when driving, and round here pheasants walking out in front of your car are an occupational hazard, but this was so much worse than that. I really don't think the dog expected to catch it. Squirrels usually just dash up the nearest tree, but this one made a fatal mistake by not going up the first one it came to.
The dog seems fine, I cleaned the wound when we got back to my friend's and it's healed over, although she has a bit of tissue missing from one of the entry points.
My own dog just stood and watched, he's much too chicken to chase anything, even cats, he just barks while backing away.
I just hope B will give wildlife a wide berth from now on.
Then I checked on the squirrel, it was still there and a pretty bad way, but I couldn't get close enough to it to get a proper look. I thought of putting it out of its misery, but couldn't bring myself to do it. It kept looking me in the eye, and edging away. I wish I had had more bottle, but clobbering such a tiny thing felt like such a violent act I just couldn't do it. I just hope it didn't for suffer too long.
I hate hitting things when driving, and round here pheasants walking out in front of your car are an occupational hazard, but this was so much worse than that. I really don't think the dog expected to catch it. Squirrels usually just dash up the nearest tree, but this one made a fatal mistake by not going up the first one it came to.
The dog seems fine, I cleaned the wound when we got back to my friend's and it's healed over, although she has a bit of tissue missing from one of the entry points.
My own dog just stood and watched, he's much too chicken to chase anything, even cats, he just barks while backing away.
I just hope B will give wildlife a wide berth from now on.
posted by apprentice at
5:25 pm
3 Comments:
It's unusual for a squirrel to hang round - and to bite back.
I ran over a rabbit a couple of weeks ago - I have to admit I couldn't bear to go back and see if it was dead.
In the past I've put small birds out of their misery but I don't know whether I could do it now especially with bigger animals.
I wonder if it was something to do with breeeding season that made it territorial, or whether it was an old one and was just too slow.
As a youngster I used to fish, and killed trout and eel, but I couldn't do it know, getting rather Buddhist in my old age.
It might have been but as you say it could have been an old one and just unlucky .... that's life, I'm afraid.
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