Squirrels In The Attic...

[Pat and Traveler]

In just a couple of quick sessions, I managed to turn my usually quiet dog into a manically barking, whirling dervish that bounces off me and the walls and the furniture. And how was I able to accomplish such an interesting feat? It was simple, really. I decided to try to scare the squirrels out of the attic by making lots of noise, like shouting, banging pan lids, using a whistle and thumping a newspaper against the walls. This horrendous din hasn’t bothered the intruders one little bit, but now all I have to do is point at the ceiling and say ‘squirrels’ to generate a good facsimile of the Hound of the Baskervilles.

I don’t think this is what the trainer at Puppy Kindergarten meant when she suggested putting the pups into all kinds of new situations. Even so, I’m trying to think of some way to use this new trick. Maybe if there are burglars...? Or an amusing prank to try out on overnight guests...?

I briefly considered boosting Trav up into the attic so he could get some up-close-and-personal squirrel chasing, but realized that he would probably just fall through the ceiling, and the squirrels would use the hole as a gateway into the rest of the house.

Guess I’ll just have to trap them. That’s one of my lesser-known skills: squirrel trapping. It wasn’t something I’d ever hoped to see on my resume, but I turned out to be pretty good at it, even if I do say so myself. I’m talking about Havahart Live Animal Traps. Billy the Exterminator uses them too, but I acquired my expertise long before that show aired.

Every time the squirrels start running around up there, and they are NOT light on their feet, Trav looks expectantly at me, hoping we can play this fun new and wild game. If he knew what was making the noise, he’d really go crazy!

[Pat and Traveler]

Hi, Nina! Funny story about your neighbor! I took my trapped squirrels on a road trip--out of town. It's a lot of effort to do the trap and release, so I'm hoping for an easier solution.

[Nina, Phil, Harlow & Lacey]

OMD, I had to chuckle while reading this. My neighbor recently had squirrels in his attic. He worked hard to trap them and was successful. Then being the kind hearted person he is he released them at the bottom of his backyard. The squirrels were back in the attic in less than a day.

[Pat and Traveler]

Lisa--first you catch the fox, then you give it lots and lots of water, then you turn it loose in the attic LOL--just kiddin.' I'm not sure why squirrels have selected me as their most favorite target, but I wouldn't mind if they found somebody/somewhere else. Not only have they redecorated my attic a couple of times already, but they ate the wiring harness in my car ($1200) and chewed the phone line so I was out of service for a week. I'm assuming one has to get fox urine from an online source.

[Kyoko]

Hahaha! Trav wil love the New Year's Eve!!!

[Pat and Traveler]

Thanks, Nancy. I'll definitely try that!!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Try throwing some moth balls into your attic. It works on skunks under the house so maybe.....

[Pat and Traveler]

Yeah, Jane--the squirrels probably think this is like a disco place--all lively and noisy and exciting. :)

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Oh, Pat....I can just picture this scene. Those squirrels were probably LTAO up in the attic.