NQR...we have new neighbors....

[Bonnie]

Originally posted by penelopefabric

I believe ornery people are more apt to hurt you then most wildlife!!

And I agree....the odds of getting bite by an animal unless you go asking for trouble is pretty slim.

When I was a kid on the ranch our closest neighbor had a pet skunk "Rosie", and she would come down to the house ever so often and ask for a hand out and go back up to her house.. Well one day a very tame acting skunk came up to the house, I picked it up CARRIED it the 2 miles to the other house and when I got there "Rosie" was sitting on her own door step.... so who did I have in my arms, and who did I just carry over a mile from our house. The skunk had snuggled down went right to sleep and slept the whole way I was carring it. We didn't even question that it had rabies, we are pretty sure it did, we put the skunk down, AND I learned a huge lesson about picking up wild animals tame acting or not.:cool:

[Zora]

We have red foxes that we have been feeding for three years. I also have cats, and the foxes have never exhibited any interest in or aggression towards the cats. For the past few evenings, the little female has been eating right alongside a raccoon, and they have been getting along fine. Yes, they can contract rabies, but begin to act aggressively. If a fox ever made a move toward you, it would be a good indication it is rabid. They are quite wary, and take off at the slightest provocation. I put out food scraps for them, away from the house a bit, plus some inexpensive dog food when we are low on scraps. They have paid us back for our kindness by keeping the rabbit population under control, which was a tremendous problem when we first moved here.

[LindaFritchen]

Sandra,

Boy, you got me on that one! My face is red...(where is the smiley for that?).

Actually, DH and I met Michael and Kay at MQS and we think Canadians are pretty special! It is just the kind we had at the pond...they were messy!! They are gone now. Guess they got tired of our rainy cool weather too. Usually there is a pair or two that bring their young to dip their fuzzy little bodies about this time of year. They stay a short time and then take them to hide in the tall grass. They are good parents. Always one ahead and one behind. Have to be on watch as there are plenty of coyotes around.

Thanks for understanding the honking goose talk...we Americans certainly don't need any problems with our nice neighbors to the north.

[Boni]

Bonnie B, that reminds me of an incident where my husband used to work. He was working late one night and I went in to have dinner with him. By the time we got back to the office, the janitors were at work cleaning the building. Lo and behold, they had brought their pet skunk to work with them!!! I was aghast at such a sight. My mind was doing funny things--I thought surely this is a pet, de-scent-ed, and tame, right? My impulse was to reach out and pet it. The first words that came out of my mouth, "Is it fixed? I mean, de-scented?" Their response, to my horror, "NO". I couldn't get out of there fast enough. Hubby was done for the night too.

I don't know if they continued this routine or not, but I never saw it again and hubby was very reluctant to work late. There never was an incident that we knew of, or at least as long as they were the janitors.

I think it's wise to let wild be wild and stick to the domestic pets--at least for me.

[ffq-lar]

:P:P Too funny, Bonnie!

I imagine the skunk actually was fixed. No way someone would jeopardize their job or risk a lawsuit because their "pet" left a reminder of their presence behind. Peee Euwwwww! They probably got a big kick out of people's reactions and also it guaranteed that no one would work late and get it their way!!!