Representative illustration
Sparky the Brave squared off with a possum1 last night.
We needed to go out just before bed. Sparky wasn’t wearing a collar or leash, but he’d had a big day and was drowsy, so I didn’t think it would be a problem if I kept him on task. Sparky hopped off the deck, headed for the area that passes for his bathroom. I was still on the deck, but 10 feet from him when he spotted the possum in front and to the left. Sparky went to his alert-ready stance.
Have you ever stumbled upon a possum? It’s scary. Possums and raccoons are the bold thugs of the suburbs. It’s like taking an early morning walk in your neighborhood, and passing a couple of guys carrying obviously stolen goods. If you just keep walking, nobody gets hurt. If you want a confrontation, they will stand and fight, rather than cut and run.
I was afraid that if I ran toward Sparky, that would force a decision, and he would bolt and engage. I walked toward him, calling him back. Sparky cautiously approached the possum to figure out what he needed to do.
Sparky isn’t trained, but taught. He knows that I want him to come, but he views it more as a suggestion, rather than a command. He squared off with the possum, but the possum wasn’t running or attacking, so Sparky was circling.
Since the possum wasn’t taking action, Sparky came over to discuss our next move. I snatched him up. Sparky wanted to go back to resolve the situation, but didn’t know how we’d go about that. When I had him, he squirmed a bit, but that seemed performative.
Based on his response, Sparky doesn’t have much experience with possums. If he did, they would be natural competitors. Possums eat ticks. Ticks bring Lyme disease. Sparky likes having Lyme disease because he gets to eat peanut butter. Possums eat other insects, rodents and any other tiny thing. They are also excellent scavengers with a great sense of smell. That is a niche that Sparky enjoys. Although possums look frightening and repulsive, they are good to have around.
1 A possum and an opossum are not the same thing, but colloquially, we call them both possums.