I just rescued my doggie from a possum.

[RebelOne]

I was out in the back yard with my dog and all of a sudden she lunged at something. Well, I discovered she was nose to nose with a possum, so I made her back off. My dog is a Rottweiler, but I don't think she would be an even match for a possum. From all I have heard, they can be nasty little critters.

I live in a suburban area and the only wildlife I have seen around here have been lots of squirrels. This is the first time I have seen a possum and this was a big one, so I guess he or she has been around for quite some time without detection. Believe me, where I live, if any of the rednecks around here had seen it, it would have been a dead possum.

[Lorien]

1. Dogs are far more of a threat to possums

than a possum-even a big one-is to your dog (unless it's rabid, which is rare). Possums can look nasty, but they aren't really very tough (got one living in my garage-never bothered my outdoor cat. They even ate dinner together some nights)!

[bvar22]

2. Be very careful around this possum.

On Edit.
I Googled possum and rabies, and this is what I found.

"Nuisance concerns:Opossums are prolific, and need places to live. Oftentimes human structures, such as the undersides of porches and sheds provide ideal habitat. Opossums can raid garbage cans and steal pet food. They can also carry parasites and rabies, although rabies incidents are less frequent than in other animals, such as raccoons. I often encounter opossums living in attics, where they make a terrible mess and a lot of noise.

http://www.aaanimalcontrol.com/opossum.htm

[Lorien]

3. Rabies is very rare

pest control companies make a bloody fortune instilling the fear of rabies and attacks from wild animals-resulting in the needless deaths of millions of healthy raccoons, possums and bats every year. If rabies has been found in any animal in your county, the local news will put out an alert. If your pet has been vaccinated against rabies, there is nothing to worry about.

[kslib]

4. Isn't suburban wildlife incredible?!?

We live in a rural town (about 800 people) and had a fox that lived under our porch. She was very reclusive, and we almost never saw her. She'd been there for a few years off and on. When our dog Sadie was still alive, she would sniff and sniff the porch skirting, and the fox never bothered her. There is a lot of honeysuckle that grows thick on the porch, so Sadie couldn't get underneath it, and it probably provided a nice cool place to sleep and lots of protection. We worried about Sadie and the fox a lot, and were going to try and get rid of her, then noticed that she had kits. So, we let momma be. Besides, Sadie was always on a tie out, and we kept a pretty close eye on her.

We never fed the fox so that she wouldn't depend on us for food, and figured that if we were special enough for her to choose our porch, then we were lucky! Sadly, our little fox got hit by a car (we think) this summer. We saw her on the road about a block from us. Maybe one of her babies will return someday!

Anyway, good luck with you oppossum; if it doesn't bother your dog, you may want to leave it alone and let it stay, the wildlife is fun to watch and often good for pest control!

:hi:

[RebelOne]

5. Oh, I will let the possum stay.

I am just worried that my dog will try to tangle with it. Fortunately, I am always with her when she is outside because I don't have a fenced-in yard.