Jill and the 'Possum

On a fairly regular basis, my dog wakes me at around midnight or 1:00 a.m., and indicates that she needs to go outside. I don't enjoy it, but I get up, let her out, go to the bathroom (while I'm up, might as well make good use of the time), and then let her back in. Sometimes she indicates that she'd like to have a snack, and I usually go along with that idea because she sleeps better with a full tummy. The ONE time that I didn't get up to let her out was the time she left me a "gift" on the living room carpet, so I give in to her messages.

On Monday morning of this week, at around 12:15 a.m., she came to get me. I had heard her barking, and thought she probably saw a strange cat on our deck eating her cat's food. I opened the door, and she dashed out, barking furiously. I went to the bathroom, and came back to get her in, but she was not waiting at the door. I could hear her barking, almost constantly, and the barking was punctuated with spells of growling. I put on my shoes and walked onto the deck, and realized that she was under the deck. I looked over the edge of the deck, and saw a clue to her commotion. I could see the 'possum's tail sticking out through a small crack in the "apron" of the deck (which was put up to keep my adventurous dog from wandering the neighborhood). I started calling the dog, and poking a broom handle through the edge of the deck to try to encourage the animals to go their separate ways. She ignored me.

I got a little panicked, and then formulated a plan. I went back into the house and got my heavy-duty flashlight that throws a long beam. I went back out, and went down the deck steps and turned toward the side that is inside the yard, so there's no "apron" to keep me from seeing under the deck. I shined the flashlight on the dog, and continued to call her. I calmed my voice, but kept it very stern, because she usually responds to that tone (my last resort would have been to get the fly swatter; she was disciplined with a fly swatter before we got her; not beaten, but disciplined; she is a VERY social dog, and LOVES people, so she has never been abused; just looking at the fly swatter would have brought her in). She turned and looked at me, and reluctantly began to walk out from under the deck.

She chose NOT to come out on the side where I was standing. She walked out at the end of the deck nearest the steps, ran up the steps, and was sweetly waiting for me to get back up the steps and to the door. It was almost as though she was asking what took me so long, and that she really needed to go in and go back to sleep.

One morning last weekend, she did spot a strange cat eating her cat's food. I've started feeding the cat on the rail of the deck because if I feed her on the deck, the dog eats her food, and if I feed her on the other back steps, she won't run off the other cats in the neighborhood who eat her food. Anyway, when I let Jill (the dog) out onto the deck, she went after the cat with a vengeance. She chased the cat, making two complete rounds in the fenced portion of our back yard, and that's a large racetrack. The cat finally climbed up a tree, and Jill gave up after watching for a few minutes. I congratulated her on her physical prowess; she's almost eight years old, and shows very little signs of slowing down.

She has such a wonderful personality, and a pleasant disposition. She can be stubborn, but she was wonderful company to my husband, and has been an excellent companion to me since DH's death. She's adjusted well to the new baby in our family; my great-niece is now twenty-one months old, and as long as everyone speaks to Jill when the baby is around, she doesn't show any jealousy. The baby is learning to pet Jill sweetly, and can say Jill's name.