This critter needs to go! Pics..

**Glacier** · 07-21-2008, 11:47 PM

Originally Posted by Twisterdog

I hit a porcupine with my car once, and I tell you, they are MUCH bigger than I thought they were.

Oh, I did that in high school. Coming home late at night ran over a porky. Course we lived on a rough gravel road and I never realized I'd hit anything beyond a pothole. Until the next morning when my Mom saw the carnage. Cleaning quills out of her car's front end was not fun!

Update on this guy...he has moved on. He fell out of the tree a couple hours ago. Apparently they fall quite often and it was very windy here today! I'm not sure where he went, but I hope he went far away into the back 40...where my dogs don't go! They went nuts when he fell. Muskwa has clearly learned nothing from his six porcupine incidents! He was the most determined to get through the fence!

I sent the pics Stuart who said it's a big male likely in his prime. Porkies have long lifespans for wild rodents since not many animals can hunt them successfully. The education Stuart doesn't use anymore was in enviroment and conservation officer so I'll take his word for that!

**jesse_3** · 07-22-2008, 01:19 AM

SIX PORCUPINE INCIDENTS!!!

Goodness Muskwa I would be careful!

That is good that Mr. Porcupine has taken another course of action and found somewhere else to roam!!

**4 Dog Mother** · 07-22-2008, 08:13 AM

I didn't realize that porcupines got that large either. I hate to admit my ignorance but I didn't think they climbed trees either. Tamara you are a wealth of knowledge! I really enjoy learning the things you have shared with us. And I am glad none of the dogs were able to get too close. $300 a dog - wow! but I bet it is a tough job removing all those quills!

**Pawsitive Thinking** · 07-22-2008, 09:12 AM

I didn't know they could climb trees

maybe it was a newly acquired skill

**Glacier** · 07-22-2008, 11:03 AM

Originally Posted by Brody's Mum

I didn't know they could climb trees

maybe it was a newly acquired skill

LOL, no the North American species can climb trees. They usually do it to reach fresh growth on the trees, which they like to eat!

**Glacier** · 07-22-2008, 11:06 AM

Originally Posted by jesse_3

SIX PORCUPINE INCIDENTS!!!

Goodness Muskwa I would be careful!

My vet told me that if he sees a dog twice for quills, he will continue to see them. If they don't learn the first time, they never will. He was certainly right with Muskwa and Kayleigh who I think has had four removals. Stuart had a theory that he kept doing because I take him to the vet for the removal so he doesn't remember how much it hurts. Well, last summer, he got into a porky out in the mine camp with Stuart. No vet for 600 miles, no one coming to town for days. So Stuart had no choice but to pull the quills himself. It made no difference that Muskwa felt the pain. He still wants a piece of that porcupine!

**Karen** · 07-22-2008, 11:17 AM

I remember my first dog, Sheba - best dog in the whole wide world - braced between my Dad's knees while he and Grandpa worked the quills out of her muzzle with pliers. She, with the incredible prey instinct, only tried to get a porcupine that one time. She was, I maintain, the smartest dog ever.

Every once in a while we'd spot one up in one of the trees in the woods, but it wasn't often. Maybe they learned from the Sheba incident as well, and, like the neighborhood cats, knew to take to the nearest tree at any approach!

**moosmom** · 07-23-2008, 08:56 AM

It took me a while to figure out what exactly it was. Those needles kinda blend in with the tree he's hiding in. I never knew porcupines could climb trees.

**kitten645** · 07-22-2008, 11:18 AM

I remember this story from a while back. I was horrified but thankfully the pup is okay.

**Twisterdog** · 07-22-2008, 11:37 PM

Wow. I've NEVER seen a dog with that many quills in him. Usually the porcupine slaps the dogs once with it's tail in the face, and that is that. I would venture a guess that perhaps this poor unfortunate dog is the dumbest dog in the world, and simply kept after the porcupine. I'd say that's more than a couple slaps of the tail.

I agree about them not learning ... my ex's lab Bubba has gone after too many porcupines to count. He keeps pliers and gloves on a shelf by the back door. The dog will NOT learn.

**Glacier** · 07-23-2008, 01:50 AM

Originally Posted by Twisterdog

Wow. I've NEVER seen a dog with that many quills in him. Usually the porcupine slaps the dogs once with it's tail in the face, and that is that. I would venture a guess that perhaps this poor unfortunate dog is the dumbest dog in the world, and simply kept after the porcupine. I'd say that's more than a couple slaps of the tail.

I agree about them not learning ... my ex's lab Bubba has gone after too many porcupines to count. He keeps pliers and gloves on a shelf by the back door. The dog will NOT learn.

That dog must be like Kayleigh. She gets hit with the tail and instead of backing off, she gets mad and goes back for more! That dog has more quills than she or Muskwa ever has, but they have both been seriously quilled before!

I wish they were all like Heyoka. He sniffed one years ago, got four quills lightly attached to his nose; howled like he was being tortured and came running back to me. I pulled the quills out on the spot with my leatherman(never go hiking without a leatherman). Heyoka and I went to get the truck while Kayleigh finished her attack on the porky! Heyoka's never gone near one again and Kay hasn't learned a thing!