THE LIFE AND TIMES OF CUKI MOKUS After my father's death, my mother lived with us for awhile. One Sunday morning, as she was getting into her car before going to church, she saw this tiny little squirrel. This was April 28, 1978. We figured its mother would come for him but, as the day turned into dusk, it was obvious he had either been abandoned or orphaned. We brought him in for "the night", fearing dogs or cats would get him if left out. That's when we discovered he had a damaged paw. The next day we took him to a vet recommended by the Humane Society. He wanted to put him to sleep. Other than having the damaged paw, he was perfectly healthy so I refused to allow the vet to euthanize him. We figured we'd nurse his little paw back to health and release him.The next day, his little paw had turned gangrenous. We took him to my mother's dogs' vet, who said the leg would have to come off. Thus began our adventures with the little squirrel whom we named Cuki Mokus. The vet had no idea how much anesthesia to give him or whether he would even survive the surgery. He also discovered that squirrels can get into X-ray machines VERY quickly.Cuki came through surgery with flying colors, but the vet said he would never be able to survive in the wild with only 3 legs. Much to my surprise, he said if a dog or cat didn't get him, another male squirrel would probably kill him during mating season. Cuki became a part of our family. Dick, my husband, built him a huge cage,and my mother donated one of her sweater tops for his bedding. He quickly learned to move about using his stub. His favorite pastime was sitting on top of the drapes looking out the window at my mother's Cairn Terrier, Gingy, who was equally enamored. The two spent hours just staring at each other. A few months later, Cuki traveled to Nebraska with us on a field job. When we returned to Denver he lived in a motel with us, while our house was being finished. Here he met and fell in love with a sweet little squirrel whom I christened "Little Girl". She learned to come into the room, and the two of them would "nose" each other curiously and even play. It was with a heavy heart that I left "Little Girl" behind in the heavily commercial area. Because it was a new development, our neighborhood didn't have any trees then.For months afterward, I would take her food, but all too soon, I stopped seeing her. In our new house, Cuki got his own room, by now having long outgrown his cage. He had a rug ramp leading to the closet shelf, where a box, with the sweater top, became his nest. Most mornings, he would come into our bedroom and wake us up by jumping from my feet to Dick's, doing flips and rolls. It was the most joyous thing to behold. His favorite "sport" was ambushing Dick's bare feet as he crossed a room and nipping at them. He seldom missed with his sharp little teeth. I started each day laughing as I watch Dick shoot straight up in the air. He never bothered my feet. I loved it! As Cuki grew older, he spent more time sitting on his window ledge, looking out, and less time playing. It broke my heart. I got a ferret harness and tried taking him out in that, but his stub allowed him to slip out of it easily so his days in the sun had to be discontinued. He could move so quickly compared to me, even with just 3 legs. Cuki also started having medical problems. The 80-mile trips to the vet became more frequent but still terrified him. Life went on. Gingy's sister, Jessica, came to live with us. They co-existed, dog and squirrel, but barricades became a part of life. On May 18, 1982, I found him dead on the stairs. I called to cancel the vet appointment I had set up for that very day. The vet believed that Cuki's heart had finally given out. Trying to ease my pain, he told me that squirrels normally live only about 2 years in the wild, and Cuki had made it over 4 years. Still, I grieved for a very, very long time. There is no feeling on earth like that of having a squirrel nuzzle in your neck. We buried Cuki in the backyard under a tree that he could never climb in this life. Keeping him warm is my mother's sweater top. A beautiful slab of marble, bought by my mother, marks his resting place, and he is surrounded by Lilies of the Valley. Many years have passed. Now, once again whole, he is finally able to run and play with Gingy and Jessica, and climb trees with "Little Girl". All of them are being watched over by my mother who loved Cuki almost as much as I did. --- as told by Tunde Dwyer. The buttons below will allow you, if you wish, to send e-mail to Tunde Dwyer, Cuki's "mom", as well as sign her guestbook. all graphics on this page by Jumbles The WOW critters pages will introduce you to even more memorable pets and pet owners.