Ballard Street by Jerry Van Amerongen for October 25, 2020

Preston’s friends find it mildly amusing when he chases squirrels with Buster, but they are not happy about the way he greets them now.

Squirrel or skunk?

Hey, Buster’s way is lots more fun! Pretty soon, half of Ballard Street will be joining in. The squirrels will never know what hit them. They’ll just be sitting up in the trees and shivering.

Neighborhood squirrel chase should be an annual event.

Buster has some rather disgusting habits that Preston better not follow…at least not where we can see him.

He’s gone to the dogs!

Preston, about to busta a Buster on your squirrel a$$.

We already have quite a contingent of neighborhood squirrel chasers.

Some are fine, some go too far.

You all know I hate to be “that person”… but I’m pledged to do it, as acting Sheriff of Ballard County.

Sheriff MonkeyBlues, because he’s a monkey and such a cool guy, could always make anything sound like fun… even when he’s putting on the brakes.

I wish I had that talent…. or he would come back soon.

So please forgive me, those who aspire to Buddy’s lifestyle, on a grand scale.

It’s fine for Preston to join him in chasing a few squirrels…

We in the Sheriff’s Dept understand the natural balance of both human/pet and canine/wildlife relationships.

But we really did have to shut down the Ballard County Volunteer Firemen’s Squirrel Chase and Craft Beer Festival, and take away their permits,

after the 4th annual event, in 2016, when “and Brunswick Stew Cook-Off” was added to the title.

It will not be allowed to come back.

We respect all species here in Ballard County.

We even have a monkey for a Sheriff, and his Chief Deputy is BatPug, a pug dog.

We CANNOT let scores of humans attack hundreds of innocent squirrel families … and then eat them!

What kind of example would that set for our youth… if we could only find any youth around here?

And besides… the squirrel meat wasn’t even inspected.

We can’t have the cooking and sale of uninspected meat, on public lands, without permits…. even as a fundraiser.

I’m sure you understand.

Squirrelly? Nutty? Right up a tree? You decide… ☺

How does that little ditty go.. A stalking we will go.. a stalking we will go.. hi ho … something or other.

Get that squirrel, Buster! Disgusting rodents.

They fight over the hydrant.