release time but.....

[Wonkawillie]

OK, I have two squirrels that are now in the outdoor release cage for two weeks. They are doing great. I let them out about 5 times now, with supervision. Then I catch them back up and return them to the cage.
I wish to have them released in another few weeks, but I have a big issue. My dogs and swimming pool. Two big fears. I have in in ground pool and fear them falling into it. The best I can do is leave floating " noodles" stuffed into the skimmers so there is something to hang on should they fall in. I have found a mole in there one or twice and I would be wrecked if one of "my" squirrels ever fell in and drowned.
Then my dogs. I have two Boxers with a really strong prey drive. I know they would kill my squirrels. I have an underground, electronic fense that is just about foolproof and the dogs do indeed respect it. I have seen them stop dead in their tracks when chasing my chickens.
But it is when the squirrels come into the dog teritory that worries me.
I live in a great release area. In the middle of 30 acres of yard and woods with no streets visable. If I bring the release cage to the far edge of my property to get out of the way of the dogs, i then bring them near the road and near other people. My last squirrel got used to my dogs being around. before squirrel release, I attach little bells to my dogs collars. This way the squirrels learn that the dogs make a noise and they can NOT sneak up on them. Hope fully they hear the dogs long before they can be reached. We have plenty of trees to get into to be safe, but They need to hear the dogs coming.
I dont know what else to do asside from do a hard release in a nearby state park. This would make me sick to know they have no nest and are scared. I think this may be worse!
I could bring the release cage into the woods, far away from the dogs, but the squirrels will hear me talking with the kids around the yard, and I am sure they will come running.
I want to release these two, but it is so hard! I just want to do the right thing.
My squirrels have never been lead to believe the dogs are friendly. My dogs had no contact with them when they were small indoor squirrels.
They have seen them around a lot since they are out in the cage now.
The bittersweet part has come. How to safely release my kids.

[UDoWhat]

Hi Wonkawillie, I also have an in ground pool. I have never (Thank God) had a squirrel drown in my pool or any other animal in 15 years. I put a red brick in the filter baskets ( plain old red brick. It doesn't change chems of pool). I prop up the brick in each filter basket so part of the brick sticks out of the water. 1 brick in each filter basket propped up. It also helps the frogs, and other things that have a hard time swimming against the pull of the filters. Then I put 3 rafts around the pool. Half the raft is in the water, the other half is resting on the coping. The raft is head on coping the feet end in the pool. They stay without being anchored to the side in any way. I use those foam type rafts not blow up kind. If a squirrel does fall in, I have seen them swim to the raft and hop on it and get right out before I can even get outside to help them get out with the net. I was terrified when we first put the pool in. The rafts work great for me and the bricks in the filters too. Most times I see the squirrels and doves walk down the rafts like a plank and drink water from the pool. It is so sweet. Now for the dogs, I also have dogs. The problem is not the dogs. My squirrels are afraid of the dogs. They run like crazy when they hear me knock on the door really loud when I let the dogs in the dog run. I only let the dogs out with me in the rest of the yard and woods ( 11 acres) if they are with me or my hubby. The only problem is when they see ME, they see food coming and will run straight toward me even if the dogs are with me. I can yell and scream and act crazy and they still run to me. When I have new releases I don’t let the dogs out in the pool yard or outside of the run. It is just too dangerous. Usually the new releases will catch on if the dogs are with me, they stay up in the trees. I don’t often let them out with me alone, even so. The dogs are off lead trained, and have never broken training, but I wouldn’t trust them to one day think “What is she going to do if we take off?” And they would be right. They are 85-90 lb dogs, what am I going to do? It take a few weeks for the squirrels to stop running to me, if the dogs are with me. Hope this helped. Good luck with those babies. I have loved following them.:Love_Icon :Love_Icon

[Wonkawillie]

Marty, the bricks in the skimmer basket is a good idea. I will have to do that. I have bricks around.
I stuff a swim noodle in each skimmer mouth. If I squirrel ever fell in, there is something to grab to, that is sticking out into the pool. If they got on the noodle, they should be able to climb out from there, as I have a this cement coping that they can reach and get out. My pool also has stairs, but not sure if the plastic would be too slippery for them to get up on the last step and get out.
My dogs.....I can be very careful, when I finally release my squirrels. I can limit them being outside for a few weeks until the squirrels get a bit more wild. I worry about human error. Like my kids or husband just letting the dogs out and forgetting about them. I will really have to be on the ball for a while. I sure could see my kids running to me even if the dogs are at my side. This REALLY worries me!
I have some wild squirrels that come here every day. One is so bold that i suspect she is last years released girl. She comes for goodies in all the food station spots, where as the true wilds are to scared to come this close. often I see wilds sitting on top of my release cage, eating. The kids in the cage are going crazy!!!! I hope this safe introduction to the wilds will be good. I dont want the kids getting chased off with no bed to return to.