A baby possum decided to hitch a ride on a puli dog's back--not once, but twice.
In early September, a Sally and Jon Watkinson found something unusual on their dog's back. A baby possum clung the corded coat of their dog, Kato. "Hugo and Kato seemed to barely notice it was there," Sally posted on Facebook. "It's most surprising that Hugo was not barking frantically at it."
The couple spent the day searching for a safe place to drop off the possum. After looking for wildlife rescue organizations, they eventually brought their dogs into the vet with the hitchhiker still attached. The vet staff transferred the baby, which they determined to be a little girl, to a wildlife career. Although wildlife rescuers are trying to locate the babies' mother, they have been unsuccessful so far.
Only a day later, it happened again--on the same dog.
"UPDATE!!! It happened again!!!" Sally updated on Facebook. "Today I went to Jon's house to find Kato again with another baby possum, this time on his actual back." According to Sally, this possum seemed to be digging into Kato more, but neither dogs seemed to mind. "This time, the vet nurse nearly fell off her chair when we turned up," Sally said.
In her post, Sally added that the initial possum was doing well. The second possum was a boy who was also sent to a wildlife sanctuary. According to the nurse, possums usually deliver litters of two or three, so the Watkinsons need to keep their eyes peeled for a third possum hitchhiker.
In the comments, Sally said that she thinks the possum will be okay. "[He's] probably not quite weaned yet but seemed well enough and was clinging on for dear life," she wrote. "I think he found the right dog for that."
Commenters added that this isn't the first time a dog fostered a possum. Dog owners told stories of possums "riding" their rotti and following their Corgi around. If you own a dog, check its fur for possible hitchhikers.
