Posted on 03/11/2017 1:29:09 PM PST by JoeProBono
A pet prairie dog became a viral sensation for its carefree attitude after it was rescued from a house fire in Pennsylvania.
Red Paw Emergency Relief Team shared photos of Vern the prairie dog, one of three "dogs" rescued after a fire broke out in Montgomery County.
Vern captured the hearts of the group's Facebook followers with his relaxed facial expression as he lay next to one of his canine housemates with his belly exposed.
Volunteers from Red Paw Emergency Relief Team joined emergency crews at the scene of the fire to help rescue the pets and ensure they had a safe place to stay.
"Just outside of the fence at the Dog Park in Morrisville, PA in Bucks County is a small colony of adorable creatures. They look like Prairie Dogs to me. My husband, Bruce Witt, took all of the videos and photos......."
https://bruceandsallywitt.wordpress.com/2012/05/30/prairie-dogs-in-pennsylvania/
What a cute little creature. I wonder what their personality is like as pets?
"Here is a photo of a Pennsylvania Ground Hog/Marmot......"https://bruceandsallywitt.wordpress.com/2012/05/30/prairie-dogs-in-pennsylvania/
“Awwww. Cute little fella.”
You don’t live out West do you?
Live in SW KS. Had a friend who sold prairie dogs as pocket pets. Discontinued when found to be spreading monkey pox. The praririe dog is the one barking to warn town mates.
And think that I have made red mist out of thousands of them
Nothing like a high velocity HP to send them to PD heaven.
I don’t think he looks carefree at all. In the first picture he looks lachrymose. In the second I would say dyspeptic. And in the third I’d say he’s downright ebullient.
“How much wood would a woodchuck chuck, if a woodchuck could chuck wood?”
Odd. I was thinking that it looks more like a groundhog.
;)
Monkey pox is found in Africa, not the US. Prairie dogs carry other diseases, like plague and tularemia.
cute overload:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=880RAXPoBQ8&feature=youtu.be&t=10
merats go CRAZY happy when tickled
Definitely not a groundhog.
It’s a prairie dog... on cheetos.
Depends on the state.
There are people who breed them, as well as gray fox, skunks and woodchuck/groundhogs.
Groundhogs might be better pets as they are not social as prairie dogs are and can entertain themselves without getting lonely. But they are much bigger than prairie dogs and can probably out-eat them by miles.
Nope. It’s definitely a prairie dog. I had a pet woodchuck. Color’s tan and the hair is uniform in color along it’s length which is wrong for a woodchuck as chucks are dark gray with light gray frosting on the tips of the hair. The picture shows no groundhog facial patterns of very light fur around the nose and eyes, and the belly’s all wrong- the woodchuck’s belly fur is nowhere near that uniform, usually has a ribbed look to it and the fur is thinner, usually thin enough to see pink skin on either side of the midline...not to mention in the woodchuck the central strip of hair is much more distinct.
Woodchuck paws are very dark grayish brown, almost black. The PD in the picture has tan paws.
The woodchuck has rusty colored fur only around its armpits and a very pronounced thumblike structure on the underside of its forepaws and since they can use it like a human uses a thumb they are adept at climbing; I don’t think pDogs have the structure or capability.
We don’t have groundhogs where I come from. Only city people have groundhogs. The mounds of dirt and rocks dug out for their holes breaks the blades on hay mowers and oats binders if you don’t see them in time. So we drill these woodchucks with a .22 and drape them over a nearby fence to dry out and be eaten by crows. And nobody skins and eats them, either.
That’s pretty good for a quadruped.
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