BiggerPockets

So I just closed on another rental property and was over there doing some rehab earlier today.

As I was hauling some old rolls of carpet out to the dumpster I noticed this cute squirrel that was sitting on the front porch railing watching me. I thought it was intersting that he was letting me walk within about 3 feet of him each time and was not scared or running away. Little did I know he was plotting an attack.

On my next trip to the dumpster I shut the screen door and turned just in time to see my furry little friend doing this matrix style flying leap from the railing and wrapping himself around my bare leg (had on shorts).

So there I am with a roll of carpet on my shoulder, spinning in a circle, jumping on one leg trying to get this vicious beast off my other leg. I was able to give him a swift fling into the front yard where he then scampered up a tree.

After going back inside and seeing there were only a couple scratches I got another roll of carpet and headed for the front door laughing about watching the squirrel fly from me flinging him off my leg. I open the entry door and guess what I see......the little thug sitting on the railing looking at me through the screen door. Each time I would touch the door handle he would come running and scratch at the door.

So I figured I would outsmart him and go out the side door with the next roll of carpet. As I am walking up the driveway he pokes his head around the corner (front porch runs whole width of house) and just stares me down as I walk to the dumpster. The rest of the day we both just kept our distance from each other and everything went fine. Although he did get the last laugh as he went pee on the porch railing.

This got me to thinking, does anyone else have a story about run-ins with animals while working on a property?

I have both pics and video I just don't know how to put them so people can see.

I couldn't stop laughing reading this! Thanks for sharing. Too funny!

Ryan -
You can post them in a Gallery through the Dashboard by clicking on My Photos.

As for the story - hysterical! Did you check to see if you needed a rabies shot? Those suckers are known to be carriers -- in fact, squirrels in Denver supposedly carried the plague a few years back (or so the news reported).

I am like a monkey banging two rocks together when it comes to technology. That is as close as I could get to posting the pic from my gallery.

@Josh - I told my wife if i start foaming at the mouth to let them know about the squirrel attack :)

Woohoo, thank you for fixing the pic. Look at that wild beast. This was taken post attack when he was taunting me.

Ryan that was a funny story, but I am concerned like the others about rabies. Squirrels are not known to attack, although they will sometimes mob attack their predators. I don't think its defending a litter, because it's the wrong time of year. Mammals infected with rabies, will on the other hand express aggressive behavior. Couple of things you should be aware of which you may already know 1.rabies can incubate for months with no signs of symptoms and 2. It is 100% fatal. Except for the single case of a US service member here in Afghanistan who was treated with a new drug and now has the mental capacity of a two year old. I am not a doctor or an animal expert of any kind. But I have had to learn a little about rabies because of how prevalent it is over here. We have lost a couple of soldiers to rabies in the last couple of years even though we cull and have a strict policy of no pets. So every time you see those cute Afghan dog adoption stories on the evening news, shake your head because rabies is not cute. At least talk with your doctor. Good luck with property. F-ing funny story!

The only thing I can think is that this house was a REO that had a decent sized hole in the roof (big enough that when it rained a small stream of water literally came through what was left of the ceiling). The roofers are just finishing up a complete tear off and reshingle so it is water tight now.

When I was gutting the room where the leak was, I pulled down the ceiling and the walls. I did find a couple of acorns when I was scooping up the rubble from the ceiling but thought nothing of it at the time. When I get back there later this week I am going to poke my head into the attic and I bet there is probably gonna be the squirrels stash of acorns for the winter. I wonder if he was trying to get in the house because the roof was fixed and he could not get in that way anymore.

When I saw your title I thought somebody had attacked you while you were working. I'm relived its only one of these furry-tailed rats.

They're thick as flies here in Denver. They harrass my dog and lounge on tree branches waiting for their next opportunity to be troublesome.

Caused me plenty of trouble when I was a kid. They infested my grandpa's corn crib. My brother and I tag-teamed them. One of us would pull open the door and the other would start shooting. Unfortunately we didn't understand the difference between 22 long rifles and 22 shorts and our grandpa chewed us out for shooting holes in the roof!

Some time ago, I went backpacking in New Mexico. As I hiked along a trail that ran parallel to a stream, I noticed a squirrel in the trail about 25 feet ahead of me. The ground sloped down to the stream on my right and up towards a ridge line on my left. There were plenty of trees everywhere so I guessed that the squirrel would just run to one of the nearby trees as I approached it.

WRONG

It ran towards me and jumped on my leg and like you Ryan, I was wearing shorts. He only stayed there a second and then jumped off and found a "less noisy" tree.

I worried because and I had entered the park I read signs that warned of rabid animals in the park.

Luckily, I had no broken skin ... only stories to tell.

Love the story! Too Funny!