Kamikaze squirrel wannabee

is common among most, if not all, mammals.

in this area during Aug. & Sept. when the acorns started getting ripe on the oak trees. The herd that was rampaging every year thru my big oak tree at one end of the house was very disturbing sitting out on the patio, with acorns dropping all over and live leaves messing up the yard. I bought one of those wrist rocket sling shots and ball bearings for ammo and started a war with them. Boy oh boy was that some fun. I knocked one right out of the tree. He jumped up making lot of racket and actually came after me with his tail snapping away, and his mouth aswearing like mad. I had to run for the house under attack from a dam squirrel. I found that when they heard the rubber snap as I fired the sling shot, they would hop ahead about a foot and i would miss. So I adjusted for this and fired about a foot in front. Thud, got him. One veteran surviver started hopping backward. No kidding, its amazing how smart those dumb squirrels are.

I finally said the hell with them and rather then blast them out of the tree with a 12 guage I cut the tree down.

George

for the local squirrels as their fur changes and it's time to pack away for winter. I don't find them to be as annoying as chipmunks but have yet to declare war on them. I'll plug up their holes or dump coffee grinds down them. That probably just makes 'em more hyper.

My not-quite-bright Maltese probably never will. Mollie loves to chase the squirrels and make a loud fuss over them but she'll never catch a healthy squirrel. The neighborhood cat will probably catch any sick ones before Mollie even knows about it.

I've never seen a squirrel run in such a straight line before. It makes me wonder whether it was a healthy squirrel.

BTW: If my speed estimate for the squirrel (20+ mph) was right that would not be too fast for a dog. I don't know about domestic cats. I've been chased by dogs at speeds well over 20 mph, even going uphill. It's amazing how much stronger your legs get when there's a big chow trying to catch you. Some of those dogs are FAST. Since cats don't generally chase bicycles I can't comment on them.

eating them -- what to do and what not to do...

I don't own a firearm and I'd be dangerous if I did. When we went camping a few weeks ago I think I was 2 for 8 at hitting a slow moving clay pigeon with a 12 gauge shotgun.

I'm not sure I'd hit the squirrel if I tried ... and I might do a **** Cheney on my friends in the process.

is the most tender and sweetest of them all.

Geo.

by a German Shepherd while the dog's owner laughed. My friend picked up the air pump from the frame of his 18-speed, flicked it open, and whacked the dog on the nose. The owner wasn't laughing any more, and the dog may have learned to stop chasing bikes. (Dogs are smart that way; smarter than their owners. )

My air pump is strapped securely onto the frame of the bike so it would be hard to pull off. My pepper spray, however, is secured by velcro at a convenient location. As long as I make sure I'm pointing it at the dog instead of myself it will work just fine. Most dogs get a whiff of the stuff and they back off even if I don't score a direct hit. The ones that don't back off are likely to get a face full ... and they don't much like it.

I don't like using the spray, and thankfully I haven't had to use it for months. Still, I intend to keep it handy.

that small animals like squirrels die from rabies before it gets to the stage where they are attacking things. But maybe wrong.

I used to sit and eat lunch in Central Park. One time a squirrel came right over to where I was sitting and stole half a sandwich from the deli paper on the grass. Now THAT's a New York attitude.

Didn't a comic once talk about NYC cockroaches carrying switchblades?

they can't afford guns.

bats get rabies and they are smaller than squirrels.

I was told years ago they didn't get rabies at all. Since the internet came along though with quick knowledge I've discovered they can, but it's extremely rare.

IIRC almost all mammals CAN get rabies but the disease is much more common is some species than in others.

The animal control folks tell me that although rats, squirrels and rabbits can get rabies there have not been any reports of rabid rodents or lagomorphs around here. The major rabid animals here are raccoons and bats.

I wondered about rabies as a possibility but it seems unlikely. Not that I could prove it either way. I don't think I'd be able to pick that squirrel out of a lineup. Personally I suspect it was psychotic rather than rabid.

Honestly,i read an article about it a couple of years back. Check this out http://www.thregister.co.uk

i got re-directed. This might http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/10/10/london_squirrel_terror/ I hope it works,if not you might have to google 'squirrel addicted to crack'

but I'm not sure whether to chuckle or be afraid to set foot off the porch. Our neighborhood is hoppin' with squirrels and chipmunks. Parts of the yard look like a mini mine field.

The mental picture i got then was brilliant! thanks Steve!

I might not want to "google 'squirrel addicted to crack'"!

Maybe I'll just go to bed.

overactive imagination. It takes time to get addicted. Impaired animals are as good as dead... very quickly...no rehab in that kingdom.

Hard to get them a small enough dose to addict but not kill. Also, they're rodents; don't know what the effect ought to be. I'd ask Dr. Bill, but I'm afraid he might have an answer, and then I'd lose sleep wondering how he got it.