R.O.U.S's

We seem to be having to many run-ins with gross animals lately. ROUS = Rodents of Unusual Size
2 weeks ago I was at our kitchen sink at 7:00 am and almost screamed because I saw a huge rat on our driveway.  Turns out the huge rat was a baby opossum. We realized he couldn't see when we waved a broom in his face and he didn't flinch...just kept going in his circle. Turns out he was blind and had a brain injury...

 

Chris got him in a box and put it by the street (I didn't want that thing near the house). I wasn't sure what to do with it- the poor kids thought the garbage truck was going to get him and throw him away.

I figured my options were:
1- let it go and know it would die
2- drive it to an open field near our house,let it go, and know it would die
3- Drive it 45 minutes away to the Wildlife rescue center.

I felt guilty releasing it...but it's a nasty rodent, so I didn't feel too guilty either- I just didn't want to be responsible.  But I was super busy and didn't have the time to drive it up to the rescue center for 2 days...and I really, really, really didn't want that thing in my car.

We borrowed some dog food (the rescue center said to try to feed it since it was now 2:00) from our neighbor Mandy who came up with two more options:
4- get another neighbor to shoot it
5- Ask our next door neighbor to take it...because she's a Park Ranger!

I was very heavily leaning to option number 4 when at that moment our neighbor Beth walks out, I ask her to come over and she feels all bad for the nasty creature and (after a bit of playing dumb about the wildlife rescue place) she says she'll take care of it for the night and bring it to them in the morning.  She kept touching it--so gross.  But I'm glad she took care of it and I'm guilt-free!

The kids were very sad to see it go- Nathan named it Coolie. He even touched it (I made him wash his hands for 2 minutes, and then he had to use some hand sanitizer too), but I was most definitely not sad at all.