Opossum: Al's Story

It was early in the morning, in southwest Iowa, when I got thrown from my mom’s back. A dog attacked her. The dog was big and kept coming. He was trying to kill me. He picked me up in his mouth, but then dropped me. I do not know why the dog dropped me, I looked around and all of my opossum brothers and sisters were not moving, my mom was bleeding and not breathing. I was very scared and hurt so I hid in the corner of this big garage and kept an eye on my family, hoping someone would move. No one ever did and I was suddenly picked up and put in a box.

I tried to scare these people by growling but I did not realize at the time I had no teeth, so I was not very scary. I was packed around and finally stopped moving. The box opened and a hand came in, grabbed me around the tummy, which hurt because the dog had bit me there and I was sore. I was put in another box that was taller, but I was left alone with a blanket and a friend (a stuffed animal...opossum's love to have something to cuddle with). The blanket was draped over the top of the box. Freedom. I climbed up the blanket and looked out into this strange wilderness. It was a bedroom with lots of scary things and my mommy was nowhere. So I hid under this wooden bush (dresser). Well my surrogate mom found me. She picked me up gently and put me back in the box. I tried to scare her but she was not to be scared. She moved me to a new place where she thought I would not escape, but I did. When she found me the second time I figured she was not trying to hurt me but I still did not like her.

I stayed with her for two months; she fed me and taught me how to catch bugs. She did not hold me; I did not want her to. She gave me medicine to help me heal. Then one day she put me in another box and we traveled. When she opened the box I saw trees, grass, and bushes. I heard the stream and the sounds of crickets, I did not want to leave the box but my “mom” insisted. I put one foot out and sniffed, I smelled it, yes I did. Freedom.