The wind that had begun as a whisper that afternoon had become a small gale by the time Allen retired that night. Evenings like these always made him nervous. He always worried for the poor animals caught in the bad weather outside.
He knew he couldn’t save them all, but still, he couldn’t help but feel on edge. Especially on a night like this.
Texas resident Allen Pursley had always had a deep love for animals. Even from a young age, birds with broken wings and stray cats and dogs were all scooped up by young Allen and taken home.
Now, as an adult, Allen had settled with his partner, two dogs, and a cat in a comfortable home in Lewisville. But little did he know, his life was about to be turned upside down.
In truth, Allen Pursley hadn’t been looking to bring a new animal into his home. He and his partner already had two dogs and a cat! But then something happened that threw their plans for a loop.
Early that morning, after Allen's partner had left early for work, something huge came crashing through the window. Panicked neighbors were awoken by the terrifying sound, and within minutes the police and fire brigade were on the scene.
An enormous tree lay across the lawn at a right angle, the upper branches caught in the shattered glass of the bedroom window, just inches from where the couple had been sleeping. Allen stood, dazed, as the professionals began the process of removing the tree and assessing the damages.
Then, they all heard it.
There was a high-pitched squealing sound coming from inside the fallen tree that made everyone on the scene's blood run cold. Allen rushed over and began to inspect it, only to discover that the lower part of the trunk was hollow.
Then, his fingers found the hole and, acting on pure instinct, he reached inside.
The bottom half of the tree's trunk was strangely light, eaten away by termites and no match for a strong wind. Inside, something tiny wriggled.
Allen pulled out the little creature gingerly, but one look confirmed what he already knew. After checking to see if there were any more but finding none, he knew had to rush it to the vet.
At the vet clinic, staff had to work tirelessly to keep the baby squirrel alive. He hadn’t even opened his eyes yet, which meant he was under five weeks old. They sent Allen back to the location where he was found to see if they could spot his mother or his nest - but they had no such luck.
So it was up to them to give him the constant care an infant like him needed. They even had to make some personal sacrifices.
Veterinary staff at the clinic took turns taking the baby squirrel home with them because he needed 24-hour care. Allen’s partner worked at the clinic, and when his turn came, he took the squirrel home. Allen was unsure of what to do, as he’d never interacted with a squirrel before.
But it was temporary, as they planned to release the rodent back into the wild once he’d recovered. So Allen went along with it, not knowing what awaited him.
Allen had one advantage that the rest of the vet clinic staff did not: Allen worked from home. This meant that he could give the baby squirrel the constant care he needed, especially hand-feeding him formula through a syringe. Allen was no expert, but he soon learned to mimic the way a mother squirrel would nurse her babies.
So, despite not having any veterinary experience, the duty fell upon Allen to look after the little animal. It was a big gamble.
“I didn’t know what I was doing in the beginning,” Allen recalled. “We were just basically trying to keep him alive.” But it’s clear that Allen has a soft spot for furry friends because he soon started to form a bond with this squirrel. He’d lovingly watch him as he ate and slept… which is what the little baby did most of the time.
They’d spent most of the day together. Then, something amazing happened.
After a few weeks, the baby squirrel finally opened his eyes - and Allen was the first thing he saw. It must have been love at first sight because he wasn’t afraid of this strange human at all.
Allen also decided it was time to give his furry friend a name, and called him Rocky after “Rocky & Bullwinkle.” That said, he also tended to call him other names like Squirrelito, Sweet Squirrel, and Squiggidy-Boo. Other pet names, though, weren’t as sweet.
“I’m sure he also thinks his name is ‘Bad Squirrel’ with as many times as he heard me say it when I was training him to stay off countertops and drapes,” joked Allen. But Rocky’s naughtiness was a sign that he was getting healthier, stronger, and more confident. Allen thought he’d make him feel more at home and decided to convert the couple’s closet into a space for Rocky.
Things seemed to be going well in the Pursley household. Too well, perhaps.
Now that Rocky had a space exclusively for him, he could climb, crawl, and play without running rampant through the couple’s house. Allen was also growing fonder of him by the minute, documenting all their play and cuddle time on Instagram.
The man-squirrel pair had quite literally grown inseparable. But though that may seem great from an outsider’s perspective, it was actually a big problem.
When Allen’s husband first brought Rocky home, the plan was to nurse him back to health until he was strong enough to be released back into the wild. But too much time had passed, and now it looked like those plans were in jeopardy.
“By the time he ended up becoming an adult and I looked at releasing him, I realized I had already done way too much wrong to be able to release him,” lamented Allen. There was only one thing to do in light of these circumstances.
Now that he was a domesticated squirrel, Rocky didn’t know how to forage for food, interact with other squirrels, or protect himself from predators. The last thing Allen wanted was to put him in danger, so he decided to keep him for good.
Allen’s husband, of course, was ok with the decision - even though little Rocky was not as fond of him.
“He doesn’t allow anybody else to handle him,” says Allen. “My husband can’t handle him either.” This sort of makes sense - after all, he is a wild animal.
But when it comes to Allen, his demeanor totally changes. Allen chalks it up to Rocky having imprinted on him from a young age.
With Allen, “he’s got the temperament of a cat.” That said, Rocky didn’t seem to appreciate the other cat in the house, nor the dogs for that matter. Allen is building him a home outside, hoping to give him some options, but for now, all Rocky wants to do is stay right by Pursley’s side.
But he does show interest in some wild visitors.
One day, as they were going about their normal routine, a little visitor appeared at the window. It was a squirrel, who seemed curious about Rocky’s indoors life.
Rocky himself seemed quite excited and ran around the house in a frenzy before approaching the window to take a closer look. There is also a family of three squirrels who check in on Rocky quite regularly - Allen calls them his “grand-squirrels.” But it’s Allen who Rocky reserves most of his attention for.
Rocky cannot get enough of his human best friend. He can often be found sitting on top of Allen’s head, as they both hang out on the couch, watching TV.
That said, Allen also wanted Rocky to spend some time on his own, so he built him an outdoor enclosure for him to climb and run around in. These two seemed as unlikely a pair as any, but their bond is still going strong as the years go by.
In July 2017, Allen celebrated three years to the day Rocky came into his life. “Happy 3rd birthday SQUIRRELITO!” he wrote on Instagram.
“Thank you for reminding me to NEVER underestimate any animal’s intelligence and emotional capacity... Here’s to many many more!” It seems these two are in it for the long run.