Help With Squirrels

Hopefully someone with better knowledge of common fauna can help me out here.

I have a lot of squirrels around my house. They are accustom to seeing people, but still normally do what squirrels do when people approach...run away up the nearest tree. I don't feed the squirrels.

I walked out on my deck while cooking dinner a few minutes ago and there is a squirrel in my backyard, hunched under a wheel-barrow. It is sort of sort of hunched up on itself in a little ball, with it's tail wrapped around it's body. I didn't notice it for several minutes because it wasn't moving. After I saw it, I watched it for a couple of minutes, then made a loud noise on my deck, expecting it to run off. The squirrel moved it's head slightly but otherwise didn't move. I approached within about 10 feet, expecting it to run off but it still just sat there, basically not moving. At one point, it turned to face me but went right back into it's hunched position.

I'm guess it's sick or hurt and plan to just leave it alone, but I have a dog and don't want a diseased squirrel in the backyard.

Anyone got suggestions...does animal control deal with squirrels? I don't want it to be killed if at all possible, but if it's badly sick, that's a concern too.

and get their advice.

You are correct in saying that you do not want a sick squirrel around your dog.

If he is indeed sick, he needs to be removed from your backyard to protect both you and your dog.

Remember that all mammals can get rabies.

Good luck.

The squirrel (slowly) departed under it's own power into the woodline a few minutes ago. I'm afraid it's not long for this world. Hopefully it will die somewhere comfortable (and far away).

contact your police department and ask them to send animal control for a sick squirrel. Pretty sure they will come out.

Fairfax county (VA) wont respond unless it's a prime vector rabbies animal (apparently squirrel is not on the list). The response I got was (if it dies, pick it up and throw it in the garbage). Because of their unhelpful nature, I'm just going to assume that by garbage, they mean on the doorstep of the Fairfax county police station...

In any case, the animal in question has departed.