Who Plays Possum the Best!?
This month, my blog is a little different. Mom and I wrote this one together!
The day I met an opossum!
It started out as your normal leisurely stroll along the Spring Creek Nature Trail: lots of sniffing, a chase of a squirrel, and a tepid whine to let everyone know, this is MY TRAIL. Then out of nowhere, an opossum appears on the trail, just meandering about. Recognizing a fellow mammal, I gave the greeting of my people. Then, for the longest time, the opossum just laid there in the middle of the trail, almost as if he was playing dead? For a second, I thought he was dead. I mean, he didn’t look alive. His eyes were closed, body curled up, and he started to stink, you know like when you’re dead! At last, he wiggled a little and perked up! I was overjoyed to meet a new friend on the trail! I said hi, and he introduced himself. He told me that he was born and raised in the area and currently resides in the woods along the Spring Creek Nature Trail. I told him all about the trail, and how a bunch of volunteers built it. He was happy to know that we kept the trail a natural surface, instead of using concrete. We both agreed that concrete hurts our paws. The more we got to talking, we realized how much we have in common. We both really like Mom, we love the woods, and we are both very adorable!
According to Mom, opossums are an under-appreciated part of our ecosystems. They’re the only American marsupial, and they eat TONS of ticks. I’m pretty sure ticks are scary because my mom makes a funny noise when she sees one on me. They love deciduous forests with easy access to streams, which makes the Spring Creek Nature Trail the perfect home for them. Opossums also only live about 1-2 years in the wild, which means opossum years are waaaaay longer than dog years. Mom says opossums don’t like confrontation with humans and dogs, but also have lots of teeth, so I should give them space when I see them. This is difficult for me because my nose is so long, and it’s how I say hello! Who knew that opossums were so important?
Anyway, all this excitement has me pooped (and I know all about poop). Time for my 18-hour afternoon nap.
Here is a picture of me showing my co-workers how to play possum
Sniffs and Wags!
Your favorite Canine Blogger, Speed
P.s. the Spring Creek Nature Trail will be open for public use on June 1st. Stop by and check it out, you never know, you might see me!
