Is that possum really dead, or is he playing possum? Seriously.
My female Rottweiler, Annie, caught a possum one night last year. She trotted around the yard, carrying that poor ol' possum in her mouth. She was so proud, like she was the greatest huntress in the world. I heard my male, Beau, barking and went to see what was what...he was trying to take it away from her so he could play with it, too.
I called them both back inside, leaving the (apparently) dead possum in the yard. I just had a feeling. Sure enough, after about five or six minutes, he began to stir, then got up and tottered off, apparently none the worse for wear except for some teeth holes in his sides. I made a photo of him once he got safely back up on the fence.
As an afterthought, I've heard two theories about possums "playing possum". I've heard they actually do it on purpose as a defensive tactic. I've also heard that if they aren't killed immediately by a predator, the attack scares them so badly, they pass out from fright.
But here's a photo of the lucky little guy who survived that night. Bet he had a story to tell his possum buddies.
