Dog vs Squirrel!

We have a large Maple tree in our back garden, which is a huge asset on hot days due to the shade it provides. Remember … it is a Maple tree!

The other afternoon Ray was stretched out on the grass in the shade, and perturbed squirrel voices were coming from high up in the Maple tree. Remember … it is a Maple tree!

Ray is typical of many dogs in that, while he is seemingly fast asleep, his survival and predatory instincts are very much alert. One of the squirrels decided to come down the tree. Perhaps he/she thought that Ray was partially deaf, or perhaps they simply had some other business to attend to? As expected, Ray awoke very fast and charged after it but, fortunately for the squirrel, Ray has no tree climbing abilities whatsoever and so the squirrel scurried up the tree trunk and once again started “swearing” (that’s what it sounded like) at Ray. We were sitting at our “picnic table” watching the events unfold.

Just imagine a squirrel high up on a branch totally out of sight due to foliage, seemingly swearing away at Ray, while Ray was now curled up on the grass under the Maple tree. Remember … it is a Maple tree!

As we were chatting and looking in the general direction of Ray, we both saw something fall down, and heard a sharp impact sound as it landed on the grass really close to Ray (who did not move).  Our curiosity get the better of us and we had to investigate! It was an acorn … from a Maple tree!

We had to ponder what happened, and the only conclusions we could come to were either the squirrel was a klutz and dropped it, or it was trying to hit Ray with it. The latter did seem a bit of a stretch of the imagination because it assumes the ability of a squirrel to rationalize the situation and plan accordingly, but why not? They are extremely capable of surviving in a complex environment, and other wild creatures are capable of strategizing (i.e. pack hunting, feigning an injury) so that was our final conclusion. We have a squirrel in our back garden that is capable using Ray (and probably us) as target practice!

 

 

34 thoughts on “Dog vs Squirrel!”

  1. It has been my squirrel experience that they take great pleasure in dropping things at or near me. So, I think, Ray was the target. They also follow me around the yard by jumping from tree to tree. They are little pranksters

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  3. The squirrels in my front yard Mungo pines scold me furiously when I go out the front door to get the mail or the paper. They don’t like me in their yard. They tormented the pit bull, good ole’ Tank,by staying just out of reach and yelling, “Come and get me!” They knew just how far his tether would let him go. Pesky rascals. Tank has since passed on, and we use the back door now.

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    • Hi Rae. Yes they have really bad “attitudes” … but a jet of cold water (garden hose) in their direction produces a temporary calm in the garden! It’s incredible that they behave as if they own it … but don’t do a damn thing to maintain it! 🙂

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  4. I totally believe the squirrel was trying to hit Ray in the noggin. This time of year, we have a blast watching the squirrel jump up and down on a branch until the big nuts fall off and hit the ground hard (these are not acorns – more like chestnuts). They are smart creatures!

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  7. What a clever squirrel, I would agree with the thought that he was purposely aiming for Ray and that their “swearing” turned into laughter.
    Another squirrel that you had written about before came to my mind as I was reading, but I couldn’t remember its name. I just knew it had been a very long name. A quick search of posts that were about squirrels led me to the story of Sam. Looks like Sam may have struck again! 🙂

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  10. Those squirrels are pretty crafty and do deem to have an acute awareness of their surroundings and potential predators. As you can imagine, living under dozens of pine trees there’re is a plethora of acorns for the squirrels in our area. The deer love them too and the acorns were a big resource for the indigenous native – the Mi-Wuk Indians- back in the day. Back to the squirrels the larger weapon of choice here are the pine cones. They shred them high in the trees and the indidual pieces and core – totally cleaned like a corn cob- come raining down and make a mess. Occasionally an intact acorn will come sailing down and I too wonder if they are aiming at us or Kloe who is very vocal about her dislike of these critters. I wonder what Ray or Kloe would do if they actually caught one.

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