Rex out did himself yesterday. First he caught a field mouse and a few minutes later bagged bigger game. An opossum or as they are known in rural America, a 'possum. It was a huge and especially ugly beast. If you are not familar with them, they have a fat body, a tail like a rat and an ugly, pinched face. When captured, they play dead as a doornail. He was loath to leave it but when he did to venture off into other pursuits, I went out and tried to scoop him up. He moved so I knew it was a charade and left him alone.

Rex has to sleep in the house as he is trouble prone and he would not leave his prize again. I had to resort to trickery and make much of Bouncer to get Rex into the house.
He sulked, gave us the cold shoulder and slept in the office instead of by our bed. His grudge only lasted till this morning. When I put him out, he searched diligently for his 'possum who had ambled off once the peril was over.

Retrievers have such soft mouths and can carry other animals without hurting them. I had a Cocker Spaniel who could carry an egg for hours without breaking it. Not that Rex is not predatory, he has a special hatred for squirrels and birds. He can seldom catch a squirrel and they tease him constantly.