DEAR JOAN: We have an opossum living at the base of a shrub in our side yard. We generally don’t go near there, only when we take the garbage to the curb weekly.

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My husband is talking about trimming some branches off the shrub to discourage the animal, but I don’t see a reason to do so. As I said, we don’t usually go near there and neither does our dog, and I don’t see that he does any damage. Is there any compelling reason to get him to leave?

— Babette Hiestand, Walnut Creek

DEAR BABETTE: It’s not a good idea to do things that actively attract wildlife to your yard. By actively, I mean putting out food or trying to “tame” them. But that’s not what you’re doing. For whatever reasons, the opossum has found a home in your yard and you are merely letting it be.

Opossums

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