A possum playing possum

 

Good dog, Freddie. Now leave your new friend alone.

They are Virginia opossums, but I grew up calling them possums.

They come into our yard occasionally to raid the bird feeders and give the dog something to worry about.

Freddie the dog goes crazy when she sees one. Freddie usually spots a possum in a tree at night. The animal freezes and refuses to move. And the dog goes into crazy barking mode until we drag her indoors.

This time Freddie found an opossum at her level on the ground. 

Dog joy!

She was so pleased when I finally went out in the dark to find out what was distracting her dog brain. 

She was circling a small opossum rolled into a ball. It was baring its teeth, and with a flashlight I could see its little tongue. 

With a towel I lifted it over the fence. Dog party over.

It didn't seem to be injured and it hissed when I picked up with a towel to put it outside the fence.