Dog brought a dead squirrel up on our deck

[Anonymous]

We usually let our dog, a retriever mix, out in the back yard before we go to bed at night. Last night, she came back with a dead squirrel in her mouth.

I don't think she killed it (the're too fast), but rather found it in the back yard, probably left by another animal, most likely a fox.

It was pretty mangled but there was no blood around her mouth.

Yuck.

[Anonymous]

Dog is gonna dog. Wait until they roll in it when it’s decomposed. Now that’s a real blast!

[Anonymous]

watch for vomiting or other signs of illness. Beyond that, dog dogged. It's what they do.

And squirrels, while fast, are often stupid af. I think a retriever could take one, no trouble.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Dog is gonna dog. Wait until they roll in it when it’s decomposed. Now that’s a real blast!

Yup. This.

I used to live near the beach in Ventura, CA. I would foster rescues from the Camarillo shelter, and would frequently take them to run at the off-leash section of the beach once they had established sufficient recall. One, who I ended up adopting (despite this story), came back a little slow one day, and smelling like absolute death. A short walk up the beach revealed she'd rolled in a dead sea lion. 🤢

It took 3 baths and 4 cans of tomato to get that stench out!

[Anonymous]

Reality

[Anonymous]

Mine like to bring chipmunks. Welcome to dog life!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:watch for vomiting or other signs of illness. Beyond that, dog dogged. It's what they do.

And squirrels, while fast, are often stupid af. I think a retriever could take one, no trouble.

My childhood retriever got one! Thought they were too fast but she outwitted it. Brought it to us and dropped it while we stared in horror at the seemingly lifeless squirrel body presented as a gift before the squirrel popped up and ran up a tree. Gotta love those retriever soft mouths.

[Anonymous]

Make sure she's up to date on vaccines, OP, and beware of neighbors who put out rat poison. Dogs are often accidental victims. My friend's Great Dane caught a squirrel, BTW, even though she's usually not that fast. The squirrel misjudged, or was perhaps sick or old. It happens.

[Anonymous]

A lot of the above.

And - do your own research - but squirrels have a very low transmission rate of rabies. I learned the above fact after our lab had a squirrel in his mouth and I saw blood. When I called Animal Control, they explained that squirrels rarely have rabies.

They advised me to ensure vaccines were up to date, to carefully check the dog to make sure he doesn’t have punctured skin, and keep an eye on him.

Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:watch for vomiting or other signs of illness. Beyond that, dog dogged. It's what they do.

And squirrels, while fast, are often stupid af. I think a retriever could take one, no trouble.

My childhood retriever got one! Thought they were too fast but she outwitted it. Brought it to us and dropped it while we stared in horror at the seemingly lifeless squirrel body presented as a gift before the squirrel popped up and ran up a tree. Gotta love those retriever soft mouths.

Years ago, ours "caught" a possum. Got a shovel and scooped up the "dead" animal; now I know how the expression "playing possum" developed.

[Anonymous]

Up to date on rabies or call vet asap. Rabid foxes around Arlington and probably other places. Wash squirrel landing spot with bleach water.

[Anonymous]

I live on a farm and can tell you what you need to do: get a plastic bag, turn it inside out and pick up the body. Put it in your trash can, double bagged if it is going to be more than a day or two until pickup. Move on with your life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:watch for vomiting or other signs of illness. Beyond that, dog dogged. It's what they do.

And squirrels, while fast, are often stupid af. I think a retriever could take one, no trouble.

My childhood retriever got one! Thought they were too fast but she outwitted it. Brought it to us and dropped it while we stared in horror at the seemingly lifeless squirrel body presented as a gift before the squirrel popped up and ran up a tree. Gotta love those retriever soft mouths.

Years ago, ours "caught" a possum. Got a shovel and scooped up the "dead" animal; now I know how the expression "playing possum" developed.

My hound once brought a "dead" possum into our house through the dog door. It wasn't dead, was super fun to chase around my living room with a broom at 3 am. The dog lost its dog door eventually, after bringing a dead squirrel corpse into my bed in the middle of the night. Even I screamed when I touched that rolling over in my sleep, and I do not ever panic.

[Anonymous]

Dogs are so gross.

Why people let them inside their houses is beyond comprehension.

[Anonymous]

We get birds on our patio.