Last night Piper the dog goes outside to wander around the backyard a bit. I refer to this as patrolling. This time was a bit special though. On her patrol, Piper starts barking up a storm, which is normal, and running around in circles, which is normal. Then she did her low growl, which is not normal.
I walked outside to see what the matter was and it was a large possum that Piper had cornered. Piper wasn't sure what to do next.
Of course, since I am always thinking of you, the Loyal Cruft Reader, I ran inside to get a flashlight and a camera. I snapped this nice photo of the dog confronting the intruder.
The possum just sat there hissing no matter how much I loudly explained that it should be on it's way. At Michele's suggestion, I sprayed the possum with the hose and it ran up a tree.
I wonder what smoked possum tastes like?
Posted by michael at December 15, 2005 07:21 AMNot good ... do not eat .... Avoid at all costs...
Otherwise, just like chicken.
Posted by: Batonga [http://ssredux.blogspot.com] on December 15, 2005 8:22 AMAs a Kentuckian I'll field this one; opossum tastes like a "gamey" beef and way too stringy to be worth the effort. By the way, in a fight (save for Rots and Great Danes) opossums will fuck a dog up pretty bad.
Posted by: Nicky [] on December 15, 2005 9:45 AMin my old apartment, I saw opossums on trees pretty regularly. They don't much venture into the backyard of the house though.
The last time I saw one, it was shuffling across the sherman way off ramp on the 170 north.
I thought to myself, "So that's how roadkill gets made."
Posted by: Jason [http://negroplease.typepad.com] on December 15, 2005 11:58 AMdude, if Elly-Mae Clampet likes opossum, i think smokin' might have to be tried.
Posted by: Martin [http://chokersandwich.com] on December 15, 2005 9:52 PMMy backyard is home to a clan of possums. So far our dog has killed one large possum, "played" with a baby possum (as in picking it up with her teeth and shaking it around as she ran around the backyard until i could catch her and release the baby) and we have weekly occurences of "uh oh the dog is squealing...must be a possum" and going out to fight off the dog.
Most possums wont fight, they just lay still (play dead) then start to salivate (make it look like they are good and dead) and then they start to stink. (had this encounter last month when dog chased a possum into our patio area)
great fun !
Posted by: jim mcmurry [http://www.jamesmcmurry.com] on December 16, 2005 8:47 AMOMG! Thanks for telling me it is in the BACKYARD! I am shutting the sliding glass door now ~ !!!!!
*scared*
Well, I guess we could make a possum stew.
It's always good to know what sources of protein are available. :-)
Posted by: Mom [http://momonthealert.com] on December 19, 2005 12:47 AMAs I read your page top to bottom, I was savoring the thought of going ot find Sno-Balls for lunch and then you give me the sucker-punch smoked possum bit. I think I have my lunch all planned out.
Thanks!