Jack ‘n Tracie

Yesterday I heard Randy playing in the back yard with his squeaky toy. After a while though, I realized the squeaking wasn’t quite right. Then I saw Randy jump back… and to my surpise I discovered he was playing with a very sick and injured squirrel. It was a fiesty little thing at first, actually chasing after Randy! But clearly quite injured. I hope it wasn’t Randy who injured it. I don’t think it was though from the way the squirrel was acting.

I called Animal Control to have them come remove it but they said they didn’t have anyone to send out (and mentioned something about budget cuts… ???) They referred me to the Fish & Wildlife department. The guy there said they didn’t have anyone to send out either because the squirrel was a “common animal” and he too mentioned something about budget cuts. This man was comical as he told me that if he DID send someone out, they’d have to put the squirrel down and that would be sad. While I agreed it would be sad, this squirrel was beyond saving. He appeared to be paralyzed from the waist down. I’m guessing he either fell out of a tree or was possibly poisoned. He referred me to a private service.

I called the private service and he explained that it would be $100.00 for him to come out and get the squirrel. He also said it was not normal for a squirrel to go chasing after a dog or anyone. Well, yeah but this thing was injured and very confused. I told him not to come out but asked what I should do? He said to get on a pair of heavy jeans and some boots and go whack the squirrel with a broom. !!! Um, ok… a broom. As I’m talking to this man, I see the squirrel trying to run around on its front legs (and succeeding) but looking quite miserable. I couldn’t imagine trying to put it out of its misery with a broom… So I hung up with this guy and decided to catch it, which I did successfully and pretty easily. By this point the poor thing was clearly dying.

Ralph called about 30 seconds after I caught it and he came over… Jack got home a few minutes later and they took care of it. Ralph said he really thinks it might’ve gotten into poison somewhere… perhaps rat poison at someone’s house.