[gaijingirl]

Last night I took Snickers out to go to the bathroom and even though we have a fully fenced back yard, I put him on a leash....he has been obnoxious about "hunting" for mice as soon as it gets dark...we know occasionally we'll see field mice run through the yard and then Snickers will follow that same trail for days afterward. He never wants to come in when he's doing his little search, so having a leash on him makes him focus on the task at hand and hurry things up a bit.

Last night he bolted as soon as I let him out and as we came around one of the corners of the house, he was face to face with a baby possum. Luckily, since I had him on a leash, I pulled back and scooped him up really quick. Thankfully, I am the only one who got injured. I am covered in Snicker's scratches from trying to get down and go after that little guy. It looks like I have been slashing my wrists!

This is only the second time we've ever seen a possum in our yard in four years of living here. I'm so glad that I had that leash on him....I always supervise him when he is outside, but if I hadn't had the leash, I might have had to pry him off of the possum. It would be very scary, since they are supposed to be so vicious. I'm sure Snickers would have gone after it...just that terrier instinct as a ratter. So, I'm wondering, anyone ever had a wild animal encounter like this? What are you supposed to do if your dog gets into a fight with a possum? I suppose a bigger dog would be able to win a fight with one, but I'm not sure about a 4-lb Yorkie....