BREAKING NEWS

(just like all the time on TV)

Happy Ending

The dog missing for a week from the animal adoption facility on Adams Street was trapped in Deb’s and my trap this morning, according to the phone message from Dr. Joanne Wilkinson, who runs the animal adoption facility.

Yesterday afternoon, just moments after I mentioned to Deb, in response to the many signs around the area, that I feared the coyotes had gotten the dog, we saw the pup  along the side of West Mill Street.  I was out walking into the woods trying to catch it (before Deb read the fine print on the sign and called me off) when moments later Joanne appeared in response to a call from someone else.

We went home and returned to give Joanne two raccoon sized animal traps to use and a can of cat food (all we had).  This morning Joanne reported that while the dog was not there when they first checked the trap today, that the dog was trapped later this morning.  We told Joanne to keep the two traps for their next lost dog – sorry Jenny Cronin, but you had said you did not really need them.

CORRECTION

Further research lead the four observers to conclude that we saw a mink, not a fisher cat on Saturday in our neighborhood.  Deb and I concluded that its head was that of a fisher cat.

I have never seen either a mink or a fisher, and had no idea that a mink could be that large and stand with it rump that far off the ground.

The animal control officer (probably Robert LaPlante) said to Deb that someone called in about the animal eating berries right next to him in the area, and that the ACO opined that it was probably just a juvenile forced by its parents to find new territory and not rabid.  That sounds more likely to me too, versus the odd behavior being a sign of it being rabid, as it was not acting and/or looking sick – just not afraid of people.

So in sum, probably a juvenile mink, not a rabid fisher cat.

FYI:  This email from Chief Meaney about a deer being aggressive behind the Medfield State Hospital came this afternoon –

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In case it comes up tonight, a deer went after a dog in the Dover section of the hospital property this afternoon around 2 PM. The dog and owner were beyond the fields behind the hospital on a path that leads to the Dover-Sherborn soccer fields and eventually to the school.

Jenny checked and learned that this is typical behavior this time of year. There are many baby deer around. Most likely the doe had a baby bedded down in the vicinity and felt threatened by the dog.

The dog was taken to the vet clinic Jenny will come up with some wording for a sign which we will post on that particular gate and also by the boat launch.

While this is typical behavior, Jenny has not had this occur before.