I have to take a break from our usual dog posting to share a rescue story of a different variety.
The other day, we were unloading the dogs from the Jeep when suddenly Tiki bolted to the end of her leash. (Thank goodness Tiki was on leash or this story would have had a much different ending…)
Up walked a tiny, tiny squirrel, completely unafraid of us all. Irie was not on leash and she sniffed the tiny squirrel as we got Tiki away. Irie’s super gentle and a quick “leave it” and she turned away. The squirrel, however, wanted to follow us so we made a fast move into the house.
The next day, the squirrel was still near the cars out by our barn…but now he’d brought his brother to visit. Surely mom must be close by so we left them alone.
By the next day, we were getting the idea that mom was no longer in the picture, and we took some water and sunflower chips out to the little guys. They had no interest. We tried green beans, which one of the wildlife rescue sites recommended. No luck. It was time to call in the pros.
John got online and found a wildlife rescuer in our area. He recommended leaving them alone but asked for a photo. Once he saw the photo, he said no, bring the squirrels on in because they’re too small to survive alone.
Well, by that time, only one squirrel was around the barn. We caught him…
…and placed him in a cat carrier for the trip to the wildlife rescuer’s home…
As soon as we reached the wildlife rescuer’s home, he heated up a special formula for baby squirrels and soon the little guy was eating away…
After I’d been so cautious about picking up the baby with leather gloves, I was surprised to see how relaxed the rescuer was picking up the baby squirrel with his bare hands! He was so comfortable with the little guy and soon showed us around. He was caring for one baby squirrel far smaller than the one we brought in–as well as a three-legged squirrel, a squirrel who had been found with his front legs chewed off, and numerous baby deer. They all stayed under his licensed care until they were old enough to be released in the wild.
We left with his urging to find the second baby squirrel. We returned home and searched high and low…with no luck. Just as we were about to give up, we went out one last time and there was the little guy, standing in the drive. I was afraid he’d make a run for it so I quickly grabbed him (bare handed this time because I was SO worried that he was headed around to the back of the house and the creek), and we got him in the cat carrier. John ran him back to the wildlife rescue man’s home where he was reunited with his brother!
I’m always so grateful for the work that pet rescuers do, day in and day out, but this was the first time I’d worked with a wildlife rescuer. The work they do, again, day in and day out, is remarkable…and makes all the difference in the lives of some of the tiniest animals like our baby squirrels.
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