How about Bigfoot? I'm glad you mentioned Opossums, I did have them living in my barn. Not sure if they are still in there. I know we have Cats living in there. Last year twice Lizards were spotted on my property. We use to have Toads, Box Turtles, Rabbits, along with the pest Mice and Rats.
I have always like the birds of nature too. My husband made several different kinds of bird houses and feeders a number of years ago. Of the smaller birds, I have always liked the blue birds, purple martins, and tree swallows. There are so many pretty birds with a nice song. We had to take our bluebird house down after a few years. I could not stomach those mean house sparrows and starlings going into the bird house and throwing the baby bluebirds out of the house and killing them. Mom and Dad bluebird would try and fight them off, but they would not have much luck. If momma bluebird was in the house with her eggs, a sparrow might swoop in and kill her too. The bluebird house was designed not to let in other birds but they still managed. I like the hummingbirds too. They were cool tiny birds buzzing by going to the feeders. In the warmer months we sit outside and we could hear their little wings flapping as they flew by us to head to the feeder. Eagles are my favorite big bird. They are so majestic. I like many of the different kinds of hawks too, even though they swoop down and get some of the pretty little birds. I wish they would swoop down and grab some of the squirrels we have here!! They are pests!
Anyone have chipmunks, the little rats in a tux? I never knew how destructive they were until they got under the house.
Yes, at one time we did. Then one day, I notice they were slowly disappearing. They must be tasty because I use to have an outdoor cat that I think killed every one of them. I would always see him carrying one off in his mouth or eating it.
We have at least three different type of groundhogs. Gophers, squirrels, and Marmots. The marmots are the diseased ones. I never knew they were mean until I confronted one and it rushed me. I was using the shovel to lean on, contemplating garden ideas, so that flea ridden varmint died from a serious concussion. Ugly business, but a girl does what she must with the tools at hand.
One time I built a strong fence in area and coop for 32 chickens I had. I had a 6ft stockade fence around my property. One night around 5 -6 in the morning I hear a noise. I looked out the window in the twilight I saw something white laying on the ground. I got a bad feeling, went out to investigate, it was a leghorn dead, there were bodies and parts of chickens all around. A pack of wild dogs had jumped the fence and destroyed the chicken pen, and were killing my chicken. I back up and grabbed a pipe out of the barn, I chased 7 German Shepherd size dogs who use a mound of dirt I had in the back of the yard as a ramp to jump the fence. There was one dog left. A younger one that I could see was scared. I had him trapped on the side of my house, where there was a car gate. He ran at a full clip and went through the gate by splitting the pickets. My wife the whole time was yelling "Come back in the house let them go." I couldn't I did not know if some of my chickens were still a live. In the end only 6 of my 32 chickens were alive. They were hiding around the property. I knew there was a "wolfpack" of dogs living in the woods behind my house, I could hear them sometimes, this was the first time I saw them.
Yes, I have seen dog packs kill and maimed livestock and deer for much of my life. I have no patience for the wild dogs or the folks that abandon a mean dog because they don't have the stomach to have it put down. Biggest offenders we had, were city folks moving to the small acreages and turning their dogs loose.
Early this morning, our small dog Mini, who seemed to be having a fit, was listless. My daughter comforted her, and she seemed to come out of it a little, but her tongue was blue. My daughter and wife rushed her to the vet. Without going into all the details, her lungs were filled with fluid. They are going to put her on an IV. The vet mentioned various scenarios and sent my wife and daughter home. Whitin 45 minutes, they call back to get to the office right away to spend some time with her because she was dying. When my wife and daughter got to the office, Mini had passed already, they held her. She still had a tube down her throat. She died of congestive heart failure it's just a sad day for all of us. My grandkids are in school. My daughter will have to give them the bad news when they get home. Mini weight was less than 5 lb, but she was the boss, the alpha dog. She had a strong bond to our dog Tia, I wonder if she senses what happened because she's been very mopey. We had 3 dogs, now there's 2. I didn't think it would bother me this much, but I was the one every day that fed them, gave them water, and made sure they went outside. We were a team, with the same ritual every day it never got boring. I'm at a loss right now.
Very sad @Tony Page. I have had to deal with the death of many pets and working animals. It never gets easy. Sorry to hear this and I wish you all the best in this time of adjustment and healing.
I'm so sorry for your family's loss, Tony. Mini's little paw prints will remain on your heart. I wish they would have removed the tube for your family's last sight of her, though.