Police find pet squirrel tried to fight off burglar

A would-be robber in Idaho didn't get away with his loot, in part because of the hard work of a pet squirrel.

When Adam Pearl came home to his Boise-area home, he was greeted by his pet squirrel Joey, before he realized some of his possessions were missing, according to local news station KIVI.

Pearl called the police and Officer Ashley Turner came to the home to investigate, where she was also greeted by the curious rodent.

"During her investigations Joey had run in the bedroom just screwing around like he always does," Pearl told KIVI. "She says, 'Whoa, what was that?' And I said, 'Ahhh don't worry about that. That's just Joey, my pet squirrel, ya know.'"



Click through this slideshow to read some more crazy animal stories. An Idaho man says his pet squirrel helped fight off a burglar.

Click through this slideshow to read some more crazy animal stories. An Idaho man says his pet squirrel helped fight off a burglar. Photo: Brittney Lohmiller/Midland Daily News/Brittney Lohmiller Buy photo Photo: Brittney Lohmiller/Midland Daily News/Brittney Lohmiller Image 1 of / 33 Caption Close Police find pet squirrel tried to fight off burglar 1 / 33 Back to Gallery

Officer Turner reportedly asked if Joey would bite and Pearl explained the pet squirrel is usually pretty friendly. "I said, well, he usually doesn't bite but you never know cause he is a squirrel."

But Officer Turner found evidence to the contrary later in her investigation. KIVI reports she tracked down the burglar and immediately recognized the scratches all over his hands. It appears Joey the pet squirrel put up a good fight when the burglar broke into the house.

"Nobody can believe it because who can say they have a squirrel that guards their house, which is crazy," Pearl told KIVI.

KIVI reports the officer was able to return some of the stolen belongings and Joey was rewarded with a treat: candy Whoppers.

Watch the full story in the video above.