Afterthoughts

Wide awake and not sure how to wrap my mind around this latest adventure...

Was this a crisis or an adventure? Positive or negative, scary or exciting? Is there anyone to blame, any thing to do differently?

Rox was outside alone in a fenced, secure back yard. It's normal to "let the dog out" before bed. Who thinks of stupid or crazed wild animals in suburbia?! True, we knew the possum had been on the fence a week ago, but in our silly naivete we joked that it had learned a great lesson and moved on down the block. Obviously we were too flippant.

It wasn't Bob's fault because he rightly avoided possum bites to his head by keeping a distance. The ER doc would surely have chastised him if he had waded in to grab Roxie. From Bob's perspective, Rox was "winning" the fight and didn't need Bob's help.

But is fighting really a natural thing? Is it OK to let her fight just because it's instinctive? And were we really "letting her" - at the moment of battle, was reaching in between two snarling animals the wise thing to do?

We don't have critters in our yard for the entertainment of the dog. That possum, while I'm sure was cute to its mate, was a huge wild rat too stupid to move on from the yard where the fighting dog lives.

Is this something I need to feel guilty about? If so, how would I remedy the situation? How do you prevent critters from getting into your yard? Will we have to always go out with Rox from now on?

Rocky hated the outdoors. He'd pee and poop and run back inside. Roxie is a nature girl who loves to sniff and snort through woods and spends hours exploring our yard. Even the snow doesn't seem to deter her.

She seems confused by our reaction, or lack thereof. I get the idea she was expecting us to celebrate and adorn her with treats for her protection. I'm sure she thinks she protected us from the big rat. She isn't going to let any critters come into HER yard and bother HER people.

Was this just an ordinary occurrence of nature, or a crisis that will keep me up at night?

And a final thought, oh jeez louise.... what to do the next time she wants to lick my face?! Possum mouth! Shiver.........