Do you let you squirrels play with your dog

[ac556k]

My dog is real cool with the babies and does not pay them much attention. Should I let them ride his back or sit near him? He is a big fat pitbull but is a baby.

[rippie-n-lilgirlsmom]

:cautiontroll :ignore :troll
anyone that would let a little squirrel near a pitbull needs their head examined!

[Critter_Queen]

ABSOLUTELY NOT.

Some will disagree with me, but I don't feel that squirrels and dogs should be mixed. MAYBE if the squirrel is to become a LIFELONG PET (or be euthanized if that does not work out, period), but if they will be released...NO WAY. You would be familiarizing them with a VERY real natural enemy and I would be willing to bet they would die by a dog's mouth upon release.

Another thing to consider is this: Are you willing to live with what happens on the chance that your dog DOES snatch a baby from his back? A pitbull would kill a baby squirrel pretty much in an instant with it's powerful jaws. Could you live with that?

There's really no reason to familiarize the dog with the squirrels...so please don't.

[ac556k]

:cautiontroll :ignore :troll
anyone that would let a little squirrel near a pitbull needs their head examined!Someone bust have had a bad experience with a Pit bull:rotfl . By the way Cocker Spaniels bite more people in the U.S. every year than Pit Bulls do. I think a poodle bite can be just as deadly to a baby squirrel as a large dog.
The Troll:crazy

[rippie-n-lilgirlsmom]

Actually come to think of it, I do know someone who had theirs childs face chewed off by a pitbull. That could have something to do with it. Let's sit back now & see how long it is untill we see a post in the "all squirrels go to heavan" thread, where this little squirrel was eaten.

[Critter_Queen]

Just for the record, I am referring to any type of dog in my post. I have known many pitbulls that are pussycats...and I grew up with Rotties. I believe MOST vicious dogs are mean because they are taught to be by humans...regardless of breed.

But it still stands that you shouldn't acclimate your dog and squirrels with each other. Please don't.

[Mrs. Jack]

I think it's too big a risk. Even if you know your dog or cat or whatever to be the sweetest gentlest thing in the world, there's no reason to take that risk. A squirrel is a wild animal, and it could trigger instincts. Or a sharp squirrel claw could trigger a defense mechanism. Or the squirrel could decide that dogs are okay! and go near one that most definitely is NOT. If something happened you'd feel terrible about the squirrel, and maybe feel differently about your pet. I know some people who practically worshipped their dog, until it accidentally killed their new kitten. As in all, better safe than sorry.

[GhosTS]

To just answer your question.No is the answer.I dont think any of the members here will let squirrels play with dogs.They are natural enemies.Even if they look ok with eachother, even a small bite of a dog that can injure a squirrel.Its not worth the risk.

[rippie-n-lilgirlsmom]

Yes, they are still just that an animal, you may think of them as part of your family, but you dont know what they think?:nono I try to stay away from danger thats flat out looking for trouble!:dono

[thumper]

My 2 cents...I had a husky mix (real good dog) who loved our kitten FUZZ...friends for months I tell ya ,then one day the kitten jumped up on the counter (a no-no) I told my youngest boy to put fuzz into his room..when he dropped the kitten in front of the dog he snapped it 1 time..like a reaction to a toy or somthing.... the kitten died....total bummer....... I wouldn't think a squirrel would last long.......... it devastated my son,myself and our family.....want to set yourself up for a true bummer???????? :smiley_pirate thumper

[island rehabber]

Ditto to everything said about NO squirrels with dogs, period. A rehabber I know had an old, fat, "sweet" rescue pitbull who she swore was her "assistant" helping her take care of all her critters. One afternoon the pit just snapped: in a frenzy she killed two rehab bunnies and the cat she'd been living with for the past eight years. She also bit the rehabber's hand and sent her to the hospital. I'm not anti-dog -- I grew up with Shepherds and Dobermans. This is no excuse for being stupid when it comes to the fact that the wild animals in your care may trigger violent behavior in your dog. :nono

[Squerly]

No, not a good idea for a lot of reasons.

[Dancingsquirrel]

No, not maybe, no, no, no. Its not cute, its not funny, its a time bomb waiting to go off.

[ravenlaws32]

NO

[rippie-n-lilgirlsmom]

The only other animal my squirrels got close to was my dd turtle , he was in his cage & rippieboy pee'd on him?:shakehead

[Luv2Spare]

I have 3 male cats that aren't allowed in the house because of my squirrels. They now hang out on the back screened in patio porch.

I knew having squirrels there would be ALOT of sacrifices, that was just a common sense decision on our part.

I also have a shepard that my hubby and I make sure at all times that they don't see eachother let alone BE in the same room.

Something tells me though that no matter how many people agree that a dog playing with a squirrel is a bad idea, some people will do it anyway unfortunately.

[rippie-n-lilgirlsmom]

Something tells me though that no matter how many people agree that a dog playing with a squirrel is a bad idea, some people will do it anyway unfortunately.

Luv you are exactly right, then they dont understand when something happens to them. Hello?

[island rehabber]

Luv you are exactly right, then they dont understand when something happens to them. Hello?

And unfortunately, "cute" news items like the one about Finnegan the Squirrel go around the world via the internet 4,000 times....great, now everyone wants to give a baby squirrel to their dog to raise. Aaaaakkk!! :shakehead

[nutnbutlove]

hmmmm, I am sure ever situation is differant but in my house...since we all live together my dog has been a part of raising Tinkerbelle since day one. I have included my dog pretty much every time I sit down with Tink so the jealousy doesnt kick in. I have included pics but I wouldnt suggest this to everyone since every dog is differant and you are right...you never know what could happen. They both sit on the floor and eat pine nuts together...hell truth be known my jack russell is more interested in eating pine nuts than messing with Tink.

[susanw]

My dog is real cool with the babies and does not pay them much attention. Should I let them ride his back or sit near him? He is a big fat pitbull but is a baby.


For the squirrels sake please don't, think of how scared they will be!

[susanw]

Someone bust have had a bad experience with a Pit bull:rotfl . By the way Cocker Spaniels bite more people in the U.S. every year than Pit Bulls do. I think a poodle bite can be just as deadly to a baby squirrel as a large dog.
The Troll:crazy

Any dog bite would be bad, alot of the squirrels we get in are from dog and cat bites. The point is, don't mix the two.

[henrismom]

I think that the point has been made about squirrels and dogs, but have to add my 2 cents. Ask CQ, I hyjacked her by getting carried away on how I love my blue eye husky.I know that henri is food in her eyes, when he was a baby she licked him once and he could not clean himself fast enough to get that dog smell off.
When its henri time, she get put in the bedroom, just the sound of her tags on her collar,gets him very nervous. If someone opens the door and she just
walks into the kitchen to get water he knows that she is there.
I love that dog, but also love henri and the two will never be friends. He is sweet, but if he hears that dog,he just goes bonkers. So NO, NO, NO, :nono

[nutnbutlove]

Actually a couple points were made....if you do put your squirrel around another species...whether it be man or beast be prepared to deal with the situation that could accure.

I know my JRT and she was raised around a cat her whole life and she wouldnt hurt anything, which in itself isnt typical of a JRT. I feel that if they are going to live in the same house...they best know each other and learn to respect each other. Kobe` had she not be introduce would have died just knowing there was another animal in the house and would constantly be trying to see what it was...now that she has been part of the process she is better able to handle it.

I have found out with squirrels there are many differant ideas on how to raise, rehab, feed and release/keep them and you have to addapt whats best for you in your enviroment. Every situation is differant and so is each squirrel. I think a big dogs size is more of a danger if the dog isnt aggressive...than worrying about a bite. My small dog doesnt realize her size and she is only 11 lbs. I have actually bent down just as Tink was jumping off her cage and she flew right over my shoulder and hit the floor harder than my dog's weight on top of her....it made me feel bad...but I also laughed...she didnt seem to even be phased by it.

Its just like parenting...you make the best decisions for how you want to raise your child(squirrel).

[thundersquirrel]

if i were you, i wouldn't let your squirrels near your dogs. squirrels that are unafraid of one dog will generally be less afraid of all dogs. if your squirrel ever approaches a stranger dog as a friend, he could be hurt. and trust me, dogs sometimes have bursts of instinct if a squirrel moves a certain way or if they catch a certain scent.

i would like to say that we need to be a little more....polite, when handling questions like this. i can see that ac556k hasn't replied in a while, and i'm worried that s/he's offended.

honestly, although i would NEVER let a squirrel near a dog, i don't see a problem with other people asking. it's pretty obvious to all of us here on the squirrel board, but America has seen a lot of cute pictures of squirrels hanging around cats and dogs, so i wouldn't be surprised if some people were unclear on the rules.

just a thought. :)

[rippie-n-lilgirlsmom]

i would like to say that we need to be a little more....polite, when handling questions like this. i can see that ac556k hasn't replied in a while
hopefully they are rethinking their choice of letting their dog with a squirrel.

[ac556k]

if i were you, i wouldn't let your squirrels near your dogs. squirrels that are unafraid of one dog will generally be less afraid of all dogs. if your squirrel ever approaches a stranger dog as a friend, he could be hurt. and trust me, dogs sometimes have bursts of instinct if a squirrel moves a certain way or if they catch a certain scent.

i would like to say that we need to be a little more....polite, when handling questions like this. i can see that ac556k hasn't replied in a while, and i'm worried that s/he's offended.

honestly, although i would NEVER let a squirrel near a dog, i don't see a problem with other people asking. it's pretty obvious to all of us here on the squirrel board, but America has seen a lot of cute pictures of squirrels hanging around cats and dogs, so i wouldn't be surprised if some people were unclear on the rules.

just a thought. :)

It takes a LOT more than this to offend me don't worry. I will say my dog (Browning) is starting to get pissed off that I am paying to much attention to these little furry rodents! Looks like an extra walk or treat is in order.

[henrismom]

Hi ac556k, glad that you are back.Lately it seems that I have a talent for putting my foot in my mouth here...LOL When henri came into this house, he
came into a home with 2 humans, 3dogs, 1cat. We were hit by Katrina, and
after that I started to loose my pets, 2dogs & the cat all to some type of cancer. My dog that is left, has lost all her pals and she is 9yrs old, and like
you, I thinks that she feels pushed aside for the fuzzy thing that she would
like to see leave. She will go days without eating, if I pay to much attention
to henri. I can't take the lost of another dog at this time, we had plans to go
to Weir,Miss. to buy another Lab, but that got put on the back burner after
the storm. Know that the shelter, has a lot of dogs now after all this mess,
so may go there for another dog. Have to keep balance in the house,I take
care of henri, than to keep the dog happy, I give her extra loving,but she looks so sad and lonely. Yes, I'm a little animal nuts,I look into those sad blue husky eyes, and she need a friend,she is not a leader but a follower.
Nice to meet you. :)

[Cindy G]

Thin Tail he is mixed with all my animals. When he is with Sampson the boxer he is fine they don't mind each other. When Dweezle the boxer is near him I have to stay in the room just to make sure that when they are chasing one and other around that he don't accidently paw TT. When TT is around T the Shepard he hops on her for a ride. She is half blind she don't like it all that much but he gets off where ever she takes him too. TT all so loves to sit on top of my Female Iguana. I do see each side of everyones story and mine is I messed up and let him be with other animals so now he is stuck inside for life. When he escapes and goes outside he is not scared of any animal and thats why my vet bill is so high. However I am lucky that he has not died when he does escape.

[susanw]

Thin Tail he is mixed with all my animals. When he is with Sampson the boxer he is fine they don't mind each other. When Dweezle the boxer is near him I have to stay in the room just to make sure that when they are chasing one and other around that he don't accidently paw TT. When TT is around T the Shepard he hops on her for a ride. She is half blind she don't like it all that much but he gets off where ever she takes him too. TT all so loves to sit on top of my Female Iguana. I do see each side of everyones story and mine is I messed up and let him be with other animals so now he is stuck inside for life. When he escapes and goes outside he is not scared of any animal and thats why my vet bill is so high. However I am lucky that he has not died when he does escape.


:shakehead

[sqrlpup]

I think most have stated my opinion but I'll throw it on the pile. If you are releasing your squirrel they should have no contact with any animal other than squirrels.

If you are keeping your squirrel, I guess you do it at your own risk. Dogs get jealous very quickly. They are impulsive, like little children and usually much bigger than your squirrel.

Now, I had a dog that played with a kitten and several ferrets very well. I always supervised her with the ferrets as ferrets are so fragile (despite their attitudes)- But she was never rough with them (despite her being a 90 pound shepard mix). She did however occasionally "nip" with her front teeth at them which I had to correct even though I allowed her to do it with me. She meant no harm at all but I know she could have seriously hurt them if she bit them.