Pete the opossum

jdluvr06

So I posted a couple of weeks ago about my co-worker's pet opossum. His name is Pete. I still think he is scary but I asked for a picture of him to show you guys since there was someone (@pinkcow13 I think?) was really fascinated by the pet opossum.

pinkcow13

It was me!!!! Awwwww, he's such a cutie!!! How can such a little cutie be scary?? lol

I think I love Pete

VulgarGirl

I....I kind of want one now....

cupcait927

Oh look at that little guy! I think they're cute in pictures but I don't know how I'd feel seeing one in person.

sarawifenow

Uggghhh Opossums scare the shit out of me. I don' care how "cute" they are...they are creepy as hell.

Fairyjen1

It's their tails that freak me out. I think they are cute, until I see their extra long rat tails! Yuck!

ohannabelle

If one comes on to your porch dragging his giant pink rat tail and shows you his vile teeth, they aren't cute at all. 

beachyone15

Not cute

ohannabelle

kimches said:

I've been hissed at by too many possums trying to get into my trash can to ever like them. Out here in the boonies you are doing a service if you see one in the road and run it over.

Q: Why did the chicken cross the road?

A: To show the possum it really could be done. 

(Sorry, best flat possum joke ever.)  

doeydo

So cute.  
I get irked and want to kill people that purposely run animals over.  

doeydo

ohannabelle said:

If one comes on to your porch dragging his giant pink rat tail and shows you his vile teeth, they aren't cute at all. 

Well, they're scared of you.  Back off and he or she will go back to doing its own thing.

ETA kind of like a cat that's on the defense

jdluvr06

I'm not a fan of opossums either but I really admire what my co-worker does. He helps rehabilitate injured wildlife and re-releases them to the wild. The reason he is keeping Pete is because is unable to be released. You can't see it in this picture but his other back paw is a little disfigured. He has a slight limp.

jdluvr06

doeydo said:

So cute.  
I get irked and want to kill people that purposely run animals over.  

Me too! It is cruel and senseless.

flyingfoxes

Possums are nasty!

erollis

kimches said:

doeydo said:

So cute.  
I get irked and want to kill people that purposely run animals over.  

For the record, I don't purposefully run them over. That is mean. But if avoiding them means causing a wreck or something, I'd rather run over a possum than cause a car wreck.

Story time: When I was in drivers ed they told us basically what I just said: it's better to hit and kill and animal than risk hitting and killing a person to avoid an animal. Then they asked what you would do if you were driving up your street and your neighbor's dog ran in the road. I said I would stop because if I'm in a residential area there isn't heavy traffic and I'm not driving very fast so I have time to stop. They said wrong, hit your neighbor's dog. WTF?!


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SITB
Yup. I remember drivers ed mentioning something like this. If I can safely avoid the animal I will. But I'm not going to risk my life or anyone else's for an animal.

Possums scare me because they are so mean. I don't like animals that go after me. I don't hate them and they are kind of cute but scary.

doeydo

kimches said:

doeydo said:

So cute.  
I get irked and want to kill people that purposely run animals over.  

For the record, I don't purposefully run them over. That is mean. But if avoiding them means causing a wreck or something, I'd rather run over a possum than cause a car wreck.

Story time: When I was in drivers ed they told us basically what I just said: it's better to hit and kill and animal than risk hitting and killing a person to avoid an animal. Then they asked what you would do if you were driving up your street and your neighbor's dog ran in the road. I said I would stop because if I'm in a residential area there isn't heavy traffic and I'm not driving very fast so I have time to stop. They said wrong, hit your neighbor's dog. WTF?!

So, if a toddler ran out into the road does drivers ed recommend that people run them down with their cars, too?

ohannabelle

Really, Doeydo? I'm sorry if the possum crossing the road joke upset you, but that is a really ugly and insensitive comparison. Are you serious?

No, drivers ed doesn't recommend hitting children. They tell you not to stop or swerve suddenly to AVOID causing accidents that might kill human beings. 

If a driver accidentally kills a possum, or even a pet, to avoid causing an accident, I find that sad and unpleasant. When a driver ran down my oldest son and killed him, it was a very very very very very very fucking different experience. One is an oops, crap, that sucked moment. The other is a hideous tragedy that you carry like a stone every day, for the rest of your life. 

The death of an animal and the death of a child should not be compared. Ever. 

Please, let's return to possums. Or raccoons, which are troublesome but cute. At a distance. I prefer they also not be on my porch, but it's hard not to laugh at them. 

I think it's admirable that someone rescued poor Pete. He looks clean, and I can't see his tail or teeth, so he's even kind of cute. I probably wouldn't pet him. Nope. I've seen possum teeth, and they really are scary. 

MairePoppy

A few years back, in the middle of a horrible winter, the snow drifts were window level. I threw popcorn out for the small animals that couldn't find food. One morning I pulled up the bathroom window shade and was eye level with an opossum snacking on my popcorn. It was UGLY. But I imagined it might have had something like this waiting for breakfast:

LabLove86

I have to agree with @ohannabelle - also (unfortunately) due to personal experience. When I was 17 I was driving with my family and a wild turkey ran out into the road. I swerved so I didn't hit the turkey, we got into a really bad accident, and my mom passed away. Now - I wish every single day that I would have hit that damn turkey. Because it may have saved my moms life. (on a side note I would not now be the person I am today without going through everything I did 11 years ago, and I do believe that almost everything happens for a reason - ect. . . . . I have come to terms with my past and am happy with who I am and what I've learned about myself because of it - I will of course always miss my mom)

I also don't think its fair to compare the life of a human to an animal ever. I understand fully that some peoples pets ARE their children in their eyes - however as far as the law is concerned (in NYS anyway) animals are property. I love animals, I work with animals, and I have pets who I love very much. But their lives cannot be compared to a human life. 

Also - that baby possum is pretty cute

ohannabelle

My mom was watering her ground cover and a baby possum popped up, soaked and blinking and sun blind. She likes possums as much as I do, but felt soooo bad. I wish she'd taken a picture. She said he was just painfully cute and shocked by the cold shower. Poor baby. What an awful way to wake up. 

doeydo

ohannabelle said:

Really, Doeydo? I'm sorry if the possum crossing the road joke upset you, but that is a really ugly and insensitive comparison. Are you serious?

No, drivers ed doesn't recommend hitting children. They tell you not to stop or swerve suddenly to AVOID causing accidents that might kill human beings. 

If a driver accidentally kills a possum, or even a pet, to avoid causing an accident, I find that sad and unpleasant. When a driver ran down my oldest son and killed him, it was a very very very very very very fucking different experience. One is an oops, crap, that sucked moment. The other is a hideous tragedy that you carry like a stone every day, for the rest of your life. 

The death of an animal and the death of a child should not be compared. Ever. 

Please, let's return to possums. Or raccoons, which are troublesome but cute. At a distance. I prefer they also not be on my porch, but it's hard not to laugh at them. 

I think it's admirable that someone rescued poor Pete. He looks clean, and I can't see his tail or teeth, so he's even kind of cute. I probably wouldn't pet him. Nope. I've seen possum teeth, and they really are scary. 

Yes, really. It's the same concept: an innocent, living creature in the road that you avoiding "could cause an accident".  I am very sorry about your son.  But you do not get to tell me or anyone else that people's lives are somehow more significant or that they are more loved than an animal ever could be.  Yeah, I get that there are maternal hormones and stuff that makes the parental bond really strong, but that doesn't mean I don't love my babies (cats) any less than someone out there just because they share DNA and the child will grow up to be a little human (talking, etc.).  

This is coming from someone who has loved and lost pets, and who still carries that hurt with them.  Someone who still misses them and wonders what I could have done, what might have been different, if they would still be here today.  My cats are my babies, and just because I didn't have to change a diaper on them or wake up during the night when they were young does not diminish my feelings for them.

ohannabelle

I simply have no words for this degree of wrongness.

jdluvr06

I have to be honest. I completely get what @doeydo is saying. I would feel just as bad if I got in an accident where an animal died as I would if I got into an accident if a human died.

banana468

I would feel bad if I ran over a wild animal or pet bit I'd have horrible guilt if my driving killed a human.

You can feel like your pets are your babies but they aren't. I know that is a harsh statement but a cat or dog isn't a human. There's a hierarchy of life and while they're valued they aren't the same. That doesn't make your feelings any less valid but it doesn't make opinion fact either.

doeydo

I'm not saying a dog or a cat is a human. but I am saying that their lives aren't worth any less than a human's.  

LabLove86

doeydo said:

I'm not saying a dog or a cat is a human. but I am saying that their lives aren't worth any less than a human's.  

So - I'm honestly not trying to be an asshole here. But - obviously this just strikes too close to home for me. 

So - have you lost someone close to you?? Because I think you're just not getting what we're saying here.

And trust me - I love animals. I have pets. I have worked in the animal field for 9+ years at this point. Losing a pet is awful. It is heart wrenching and soul-sucking. But losing a human family member is worse.

It is totally fine if it is your opinion that animal lives are = to human lives (Thank you @banana468 for the opinion vs fact observation). However - law states that animals are property. And human life > property. 

Also (still - honestly not trying to be an ass - but curious) are you a vegetarian/vegan? {I am sure you can see what my point here would be if you do in fact eat meat}

ETA - fixing words

AlexisA01

kimches said:

doeydo said:

So cute.  
I get irked and want to kill people that purposely run animals over.  

For the record, I don't purposefully run them over. That is mean. But if avoiding them means causing a wreck or something, I'd rather run over a possum than cause a car wreck.

Story time: When I was in drivers ed they told us basically what I just said: it's better to hit and kill and animal than risk hitting and killing a person to avoid an animal. Then they asked what you would do if you were driving up your street and your neighbor's dog ran in the road. I said I would stop because if I'm in a residential area there isn't heavy traffic and I'm not driving very fast so I have time to stop. They said wrong, hit your neighbor's dog. WTF?!

They told me the same when I was learning to drive! It felt really odd and awkward because I came close to almost hitting my neighbors cat. I stopped with about 3-4 feet away from kitty but my instructor was rather peeved at me. My neighbor was so happy that her kitty didn't get hit or killed but my instructor sat there lecturing me about how I should not have stopped. Ugh.

erollis

My dog for the 1st 11 years of my life was my best friend. We were inseparable when I was little. When he died (at 16 years old) I was devastated. I love our cats now so much. I would be heartbroken if they were killed by a car. But if I had a child killed by a car that would be 1,000 times worse.

Animals deserve to be treated humanly. And endangered species should be helped. But the loss of a wild turkey or other animal =\= loss of a human life.

That's my personal opinion (not fact) and I'm entitled to it just like everyone is entitled to theirs.

@AlexisA01 it's good you didn't hit your neighbors cat. Even if it did bring about a tongue lashing by your instructor.

AlexisA01

erollis said:

My dog for the 1st 11 years of my life was my best friend. We were inseparable when I was little. When he died (at 16 years old) I was devastated. I love our cats now so much. I would be heartbroken if they were killed by a car. But if I had a child killed by a car that would be 1,000 times worse. Animals deserve to be treated humanly. And endangered species should be helped. But the loss of a wild turkey or other animal =\= loss of a human life. That's my personal opinion (not fact) and I'm entitled to it just like everyone is entitled to theirs. @AlexisA01 it's good you didn't hit your neighbors cat. Even if it did bring about a tongue lashing by your instructor.

@erollis One of the most profound things I have learned in my religion is how to respect and treat  animals (explains why I have an animal house of pets). It's really disrespectful for instructors to say that to students without regards about ethics, values, morals, etc.  I am the type of person to get out of my car to help escort ducks across the street. My parents were not too thrilled (same religion/ moral system as well ) about the possibility of hurting Kitten next door. I am marrying a veterinarian with the same love for animals.

theexactlee

I think he is cute. I just learned at SeaWorld that a possum is actually quite docile and if raised from birth has no intention of biting and can be a great house pet. 

My sister is currently helping rehab two raccoons she found abandoned by their mother or something, I never quite caught the whole story. They were babies. Today she posted on Facebook with pictures of them looking much healthier and kind of running around her neck playing with her hair. 

erollis

@AlexisA01‌ I don't know what religion you practice but a love and respect for animals is important. Just because I make a very difficult decision to hurt an animal instead of possibly the passenger and myself does not make me (or anyone else) a bad person.

H and I have helped our fair share of animals that are lost, get out of harms way, take animals to a vet/shelter that can actually help them, and we even rescued our own two cats. A baby bird that was born in one of our planters died during a storm. H went and gave it a proper burial.

We do our best to show compassion to people too. We give the homeless, money, food, and clothes. We stop and help people stranded on the side of the road. H holds open doors for others, even if they don't need assistance. We do our best to do unto others. We are most certainly not perfect in anyway.

Some people do need to be told that it is better to kill fido from next door then to hurt/maim/kill a person sitting next to you or even yourself. They have so much compassion for animals that they are blind to the fact they may do irreparable damage to human life.