Meanwhile, in other news...

[REWahoo]

Neighbor's pet squirrel attacks Houston-area woman

A Houston-area woman has been treated for hand and back injuries after being attacked by her neighbor's not-so-friendly pet squirrel that got loose. KPRC-TV ...reported Tuesday that Elizabeth Orzechowska... of Katy spent hours at a hospital getting stitches.

The victim says she was unloading groceries from her car in her driveway when she felt something pounce, crawl up her leg and run up her back. She was treated for bites and scratches.

No charges were immediately filed over the attack blamed on the year-old squirrel named B.B., which apparently fled from its owner and headed for the neighbor.

KPRC reports the owner, who could face fines for unlawfully keeping a pet squirrel, set the rodent free following the attack amid the possibility of the animal being euthanized.

 

[Andre1969]

Well, the one saving grace, I guess, is that it's very rare for a squirrel to have rabies. I had to research this about 15 years ago, when my Dad got bit by a squirrel. He and Granddad had a habit of feeding the local squirrels, and got them so tamed they'd take a peanut out of your hand. One day though, a black squirrel got a little too eager and bit Dad's hand, drawing a little blood. Granddad managed to trap the thing, and they decided to keep it indoors, to see if it would start showing signs of sickness or whatever.

Don't ask me why, but they thought this was a better idea than Dad simply going to the doctor to get checked out. If that squirrel started showing signs of rabies, I have a feeling that by the time it did, it might have been too late for Dad! Anyway, I looked it up on some search engine, in those days before Google was such a household word, and most of the hits I got said that it was rare for a squirrel to carry rabies.

Anyway, they kept it in the cage for about two weeks, and then let it go. And then, within a year, Granddad got bit by another squirrel. They trapped that one, and did the same routine. I think after that, they learned their lesson though, and quit getting so friendly with the little varmints.

 

[brewer12345]

Well, I am proud to keep 'Murrica safe from the squirrel menace.

 

[travelover]

I'd say the neighbor should be glad it wasn't a pet chimpanzee.