This commentary is by Jeannie Lindheim, a resident of Woodstock.

If you see an animal in the road or by the side of the road that’s been hit by a car, don’t assume the animal is dead. 

I accidentally hit a little red squirrel driving up Church Hill Road in Woodstock a few evenings ago. He moved a bit and then was still. 

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My husband, Steven, and I moved him with a stick to the side of the road, before we drove a few minutes to our house. The squirrel looked like he was in shock, but his body was intact. I called SAVES in Lebanon, New Hampshire, and they immediately emailed me the link to 2022 Licensed Wildlife Rehabilitators in New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine. 

Within moments I reached a wonderful woman, Karen, whose name was on the list.

She said, “ Don’t leave him outside. A predator will get him. Put him in a carrying case of some sort.

“Don’t use a cardboard box because he can chew through it. Put a pillowcase at the bottom of the case. Don’t use a towel because his claws might get stuck. Put him in the garage or a shed, so he’s safe. He may have head trauma or internal injuries. It’s his bedtime now. They’re not active at night. They sleep.” 

She was my angel. She offered to meet me in the morning, halfway between our homes, and take him into her care for rehabilitation. At 9 the next morning, I was to call her with an update.

We rushed back to the accident scene to retrieve the squirrel. I found a tall orange Home Depot bucket and we shoveled him gently into the bucket with some dirt and greens and a pillowcase, so he would feel comfortable. 

We put the bucket in the garage, with a plastic shopping cart with holes on top, so he had plenty of air. His soft, fluffy tail was wrapped around his body and his eyes were closed. He looked peaceful. I named him Sammy.

The next morning we went to the garage, opened the garage door, and took the lid off the bucket. Sammy looked up, trying to figure out where he was. We were thrilled that he was alive. I rushed to call Karen. As I was talking to her, I heard Steven yelling, “He’s out!” 

While Steven was securing a cardboard piece to fit over the bucket, he saw a bushy tail near the top of the lid to the bucket. Sammy pushed the cardboard away and jumped out of the bucket and scampered away. 

We were thrilled as we watched Sammy run up the driveway, scale a huge 5-foot boulder like an Olympic athlete and dash off into the woods.

How could he jump out of the bucket — 15 inches high and 12 inches across — that he slept in? Karen told me, “They can jump 10 times the size of their body. That’s how they get from one tree to the other.”

So: If you see an animal in the road or by the side of the road, please don’t assume that she/he is not alive. You may be able to save her/his life by rescuing him by calling a wildlife rehabilitator.

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