Debbie Tails - #3T - Humans! Don't Touch the Wildlife

Gunner's Lake, Germantown, MD

One of my favorite places in Germantown is Gunner's Lake on Wisteria Drive.  Last week was wonderful weather and as we approached the lake we could see a beautiful fog seeming to hoover over the lake.  Usually we come on the weekends when it's crowded...early on a weekday morning it was calm, peaceful and beautiful.  We like running here because the asphalt path is spacious enough for the both of us.  Also, the path is smooth and clear (little to no uneven surfaces/cracks). Near the back of the lake there's one wooden bridge part that we always check first to make sure it's clear for us to sprint across but other than that even if the path is congested we can pass on the grassy portion along the path.  The distance around the lake is a little over a mile.  No cooling off in the water here (watch out - the water is actually very deep) but my foster mom sets out a big water bowl for me and I can take a drink after each lap.

As we were running along the back part of the lake (near the picnic tables), a lady approached us and said "I know you're busy but could you help?"  I relaxed and looked around while the two ladies talked.  Then I heard my foster mom say "I don't think we're the best to help you.  Debbie can be reactive with squirrels".  I looked up and there was a young squirrel on the lady's shoulder!  Made the lady look like a tree.  But she's not a tree and squirrels aren't supposed to be walking around the lake with people.  What was this lady doing?  She showed us pictures she had taken, including one of the squirrel at the base of her leg.  If she had maintained a respectful boundary the situation wouldn't have resulted.   

She went onto say "Maybe I should take him to Petsmat" so they can take care of him.  Lady!  He's not a pet!  I thought about a place in Rockville that takes care of injured wildlife (if you can remember the name of it please post a comment) but other than looking scared, he didn't seem injured.  Despite the fact she thought he fell out of a nest, he seemed old enough to be taking care of himself.  I'm adoptable through the MCHS Shelter in Rockville and while I was there for a month (before I entered foster care) I saw rabbits, chickens and even heard about a pig there one time.  But the shelter is so over crowded and simply not meant for hijacked squirrels.  I suggested that she return him to the area of Gunner's Lake where she found him.  It seemed she had been walking with him for so long she couldn't even remember.  As we continued with our run, I was frustrated to see her continuing to walk with the squirrel on her shoulder...in the opposite direction from where she found him.

Humans!  Please don't touch the wildlife!