I love porcupines. I think they are adorable. From their pokey walk,( no pun intended though it is a good one ) to their cute faces, to well, I just like ’em! They make me happy to watch. I do know the other side of them though. You know, the prickly side. The side that gets curious calves in trouble, which is why ranchers don’t like them the way I do. It’s also the side that gets pushy, nosey, bossy dogs in trouble.
When we came home from our monthly grocery shopping trip the other day, two of the dogs had figured out why they should leave the prickly critters alone. Not only did they have the quills in their noses, but apparently they had tried to bite it and they subsequently had quills inside their mouths too. Not fun!! I sat on them to hold them, while Jason used the pliers to pull the quills out. It took awhile.
She didn’t have it as bad as the other guy did.
Not a happy girl.
These are Bandi’s lessons hard learned.
We don’t have small porcupines here, they come in large and extra-large.
Like I said, large and extra-large!
- She was feeling very playful the next morning.
Hopefully she has learned that not all animals can be herded.
And yes, even though I feel kinda bad for the dogs, I still love porcupines. Just not enough to get as close as they did!
*** Since this post came out a friend of mine told me that if you cut the quills with scissors first they come out easier. I guess it breaks the vacuum and thus they are easier to remove! Great to know!!***
Love from here,
Bobbie
From a Montana Front Porch 
OUCH! (And cute pun). š
Why thank you! I was rather proud of it even though it was totally unintentional! š
Reminds me of the movie Homeward Bound when Chance gets a bit too close š Hopefully all parties involved won’t have to go through that again š
I hope they learn from it! I hate to be the reason they are in pain. Even though I didn’t tell them to get so close! š
It seems like dogs never learn that porcupines are prickly–and I love your dogs, by the way. Aussies?
She is a 3/4 aussie 1/4 kelpie. A total brat but a good worker! š
Yep! We’ve had Aussies for almost 20 years…on #3 right now, and she’s an old girl. Also a brat, but a great worker…they’re super-smart and good friends, too. Our grandkids learned early on not to try to wander out of the yard, because they’d be herded right back in.
Oh NO!!!! Poor thing! Glad she didn’t get too worked over….she’s a cutie! (And I totally agree about loving porcupines!)
What is it about them that makes them so darn cute? Maybe it’s because I’ve never been on ones bad side!
Oh my gracious! I met a porcupine once, he was really super cute. But I was scared of him, so I stayed really far away!
Glad the dogs didn’t get more quills; I imagine each one hurts when they are pulled out!
When the calves get them, I suppose that is dangerous, too – mama wouldn’t want to let them nurse!!
Not nursing is a problem but the biggest is trying to get them out without breaking them off. They get infected if they break and thats not good. That and , as Jason said, it’s no fun to be the guy who has to rope the calf and try to hold it still while pulling out quills. Unhappy baby means unhappy mama!
Oh, no! The poor poochies… and pulling them out, too… š¦ Must’ve hurt you more than them… Ouchies! Make sure the puncture points don’t get infected!
They do a good job of cleaning them! I do feel bad for them that they are in pain. Now, if they do it again I won’t feel sorry for them!
I understand how you like them, Bobbie. Around here, it’s groundhogs. I just love groundhogs but the farmers pay people to “remove” them from their fields. I guess if they did that kind of damage to my place, I’d feel the same.
We have gophers here that could easily get out of control. Our dogs have gotten rid of all that were close to the house. Their biggest problem besides ruining the grazing is the holes that cows and horsed can step in and break a leg in.
I love porkies too. I love the way the chortle to themselves as they waddle along – feel they are kindred spirits!
Kindred spirits for sure! I knew you would understand Leslie! š
oh man! i hate when that happens š¦
It would be worse with the little guys that you have! š¦ I hope that it doesn’t happen too often!
Poor babies…and I thought when our hooligans found moles, that was bad…glad they were playful the next day. Not sure if like porcupines but then I always thought skunks were cute! š
Skunks are cute!! Just curious, what does a mole do to a dog? š
Thankfully nothing, it is what they do to them. Our doxies aka the Hooligans, think they are bo bo’s (toys) I guess because they squeak, the one little guy likes to bring them to me as a gift…I think he is half cat by the way. And the larger one we nicknamed “chubs” likes to eat them…ick! :O Our vet told me not to worry they are doing what dogs do, to which I replied, I am a city gal and not used to these things. š
I just read another blogger’s post about how her dog licked a DEAD porcupine — and got a quill or two on the tongue. Not fun! Of course, she took hers to the vet. None of the pliers and “hold still, you varmint” like yours (and probably mine too, if I had any).
It really is no fun, but not too hard to do so I couldn’t justify the vet bill. Hopefully she will learn from her first experience and not have to repeat it!