Great, just what I need. I just let my dogs out in the backyard and what do I see but a big, fat Opossum rear end and long tail hanging down off the roof. The terrier pup went simply crazy running back and forth. I'll have to assume it climbed the big Crepe Myrtle tree to get up there.

They seem to love Texas. I'd never seen one in my life until I visited in Round Rock, and a huge one was on the fence every night. They are scary looking.

First time I've seen one around here myself in all the years I've lived here. Other than the fact that Google says it eats plants I'll see if it will stay around to take care of the other pests we have around here.

I hope they don't start eating your plants! The one that sits on the fence, doesn't seem to come into the yard, but they have 4 dogs that are outside a lot.

Our two dogs stay in most of the time. We have field mice and wood I've seen wood rats out in the yard. I imagine they like to get into the greenhouses. I have a tub in one of them full of bird seed from when I used to feed birds. I guess I need to get rid of that. Maybe the Opossum will do that for me

I put out a trap to catch the menacing raccoons. Surprised the heck out of me when I caught a possum. I hadn't seen one in my yard since we moved in 27 years ago. They have like 150 razor sharp teeth in that pointy head of theirs! Be careful!

Back in the day, I was living in a cabin in Colorado. So one evening I was driving home and was slowing down as I was at the point where the road changed from pavement to dirt. And what did I see? A mama opossum crossing the road with a bunch of little babies trailing behind. It was like a little storybook scene.

Apparently there are a lot of raccoons and possums (and coyotes) in the general area of where I now live. There's a nearby lake and a lot of underground streams. I've only seen a raccoon in my yard one time since 1998. And a possum showed up the following night. Kind of weird. My house was getting a paint job by workers who were on the late shift. They were the ones who spotted the critters and I couldn't believe how scared those housepainters were. It's not like either the raccoon or the possum were up close and personal. Or on my roof.

ShadyGreenThumb said:I put out a trap to catch the menacing raccoons. Surprised the heck out of me when I caught a possum. I hadn't seen one in my yard since we moved in 27 years ago. They have like 150 razor sharp teeth in that pointy head of theirs! Be careful!

I'm hoping it's maybe a one-time thing but I doubt it. I wonder if that's what chewed my one Asiatic Lily in half that had a bloom on it? I thought it may have been deer but I've not caught any on my trail camera yet this year. As long as it leaves my plants and dogs alone I'll let it eat anything else it wants in the yard especially the snails.

I've not seen any raccoons around here, yet. The deer are the biggest pests we have around here in town. Hopefully the coyotes won't decided to move into town from Ft. Hood. That's all we'd need.

Possums aren't aggressive. They only bear their teeth to scare us off. It reminds me of a slimy salesmans grin and laugh when I see it. They might hurt one of your dogs only if they are cornered by them.

I used to have a pair that would have a dinner date on my hanging bird feeder after dark. You will know if they get into the sunflower seeds as they regurgitate the hulls in nasty wads. And I agree they serve a purpose in nature.

The coyotes on the other hand will kill and eat small dogs, cats, whatever. I agree in hoping they don't move into your area. I have an acre under fence for my pets to remain safe in and some nights the 'yotes come right up to it. They are fearless.

We have a lot of coyotes in the Phoenix area. We all have 6 ft block walls around our backyards. That doesn't stop them at all. They run up the wall and jump right over. They've been getting all of the small dogs and cats, and have even threatened a few babies, but have been run off. One year we had a mom and babies living under our storage shed. After they left, we closed it up so they couldn't do a repeat.

I'm hoping that's what happens if it comes back. I know the Miniature Schnauzer would probably run but not sure about my mixed Schnauzer pup. He's more aggressive than the older one. When I worked out on the ranges at Ft. Hood they were all over the place and would even come up out of the range areas to search for scraps after a BBQ. There was a fence between it and me when I took these

The ones that lived in our backyard weren't really afraid of us. They would run away if anyone got too close, but they wouldn't run if we didn't try to get close. They'd just sit and watch us. They came to drink out of our pool and fountain, and to feast on the rabbits. They were welcome to those!

Wow Karen... I don't know if I would want them living that close although I suspect it was fun to watch the little ones.

I have heard they can clear my four foot fence but haven't done so. I have a pair of big dogs so maybe that is a deterrent. At least my cat collection can maybe get away by darting through the fence quickly.

My lab tries to sing with the 'yotes and I'm sure they think he is a rookie.

Chris, that coyote in that photo certainly does not look poor. Sadly they have learned to live on what we throw away. The poultry industry is large here and the farmers used to dump dead chickens. Then the coyotes would feast (as would the possums). They do not do that any longer so the critters go in search of other food sources.

A state game warden told me that one of the coyotes will get in front of a little dog (or dogs) to distract it. The little dog will bark furiously. The rest of the coyotes will sneak up behind and grab the dogs. Terrifying to those pet owners that have seen it happen. Keep a watch on your pets!

Yes, anyone with small dogs or cats has to be very careful. Our mailman told us about a huge coyote sleeping under a bush near our house. It saw him, and didn't bother getting up or moving.

I've heard that before also. Luckily at least here in the heavily populated area of town they're staying away but I'd imagine it's quite different on the outskirts.

Around here developers keep turning wild areas into subdivisions and the residents complain about the wildlife - who were there first.

You should see it here, we had a herd of about 10 or 15 deer, mostly doe's, stomping up and down the street a few weeks ago. I haven't caught any on my trail cam I have setup out front yet this year but here's one with my regular camera I took several years ago right next to my driveway just munching away.

We have new homes being built close by and forest being destroyed. Coyotes have been seen more frequently as well as feral hogs and a bobcat. Oets are missing. The wild animals are bring pushed from n their habitat into residential areas.

Sad. We're ruining our planet.