hello porcupine

[Deleted User]

Every wild thing is on the move here where the snow has piled up. This porcupine was here yesterday, just passing by my dogs’ yard, what a nightmare. i want him to steer clear of my place. He hung out in our subdivision for about two hours before he toddled down to the lake.

 

funny walk he has:

http://www.youtube.com/watch

 

[mrmac]

Oh my! I like the little waddle walk!

[jerseygirl]

You have the coolest things pass by. I don’t know much about them…what is the risks to your dogs?

[Michelle&Lolli]

Wow. You do have the coolest things pass by. lol He is a bit scary looking though.

[MimzMum]

One of my dogs (actually Shadow did this too) got into an altercation with a baby porcupine and about killed it, and managed to come away with a bunch of quills in her face. Luckily they weren’t developed because I had to pull them out and it was a lot easier than I expected. She was so good about it too! She didn’t get any near the eye, but her jowls were pretty cut up.
Shadow got one mature quill in his face from a porc late in the night once, I went out to feed him and he looks at me with this sad look and this thing sticking out of his lip…I was shocked because we never heard a yelp or any barking at all!

I don’t imagine they are good to have near the bunnies either. Every time I see one I think of the Disney movie of Incredible Journey/Homeward Bound and the bulldog yelping, “OW! HE bit me with his BUTT!”

[PuddleJumper]

I think if I was loaded down with sharp quills I would walk a little funny too! lol MimzMum I agree about the movies I can just hear it now! lol And poor puppies! I know that wouldn’t be fun to be stuck in the face by one of those creatures!

[(dig)x(me)x(now)]

Neat! I think I need to visit Canada soon.

[RabbitPam]

I love porcupines. They are the nicest animals. I once was at a discovery science museum and they had one there as a visiting guest for a demo, and they are very gentle and good natured. They just only have the one form of protection. Kind of like a granny with a spike hairdo. She knows she can’t outrun you, beat you or eat you, so unless you go in for a hug, you’re safe.

Really, Petzy, what is with all the beasties cutting through your yard? It’s like you are on the migratory path to an ark.

[Elrohwen]

That is the coolest thing ever! He looks like a turtle with spines or something. How much do those guys weigh?

Though I can see why you wouldn’t want him around your dogs!

[LBJ10]

I did some work at the zoo and they had the nicest little porcupine there. He was a little brush-tailed porcupine though, much smaller than this one. I think they are so cool though. They are one of the larger rodents in North America (just beavers are bigger).

[LittlePuffyTail]

Cute! I think porcupines are really  neat. I get sad because I see them dead on the road quite often in summer. The poor things; they walk so slow, they really have no chance against cars. I was driving at night in the country once and had to slam on my brakes to avoid one who was crossing the road (thank God there was no one behind me). It took him several minutes to get across the road! I get really mad at my brother-in-law who is a total hick and enjoys shooting them out of trees. That’s just awful.

The previous stable I was at had a few porcupine visits to the horses in the field. The mares are so nosy and must have gone to sniff him because 3 of the horses kept getting a muzzle full of quills. It’s dangerous because if they go in deep enough they cause an infection. My sister’s pomeranian got so full of them once he had to go the vet and be put to sleep to get them all out. They’re still cute though…from a distance…like a skunk.

[Deleted User]

I am not a fan of the porcupines. All my dogs in the past got quilled and it is such a bad situation. One got quilled through the tongue and in the eye. I am just not a rodent lover… so I take the canine side here. I prefer animals who will just outrun the dog, or are much bigger to begin with. Last year, there was a porcupine in a tree here who had been attacked by some predator. It had a bloody gash on his neck and was missing a large portion of quills… you can imagine what happened. Somewhere there was a coyote looking like a cactus plant.

[Author]

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