When Robert Milburn came across a tiny, hairless creature the size of his thumb in his driveway, he had no idea what it was. He took it inside, wrapped it up to keep it warm, and began Googling. After determining that the little creature was a newborn squirrel that had likely fallen out of its nest, he put it back outside in a shallow box and waited to see if the mother would return for it. The mother did come to check it out, but quickly left it. Milburn would later discover that the baby squirrel had a mouth deformity that made it unable to suckle properly. Although Milburn didn’t think the squirrel would survive, he decided to do his best. He took it back inside and began feeding it puppy formula with a syringe every three hours, around the clock. It worked. The squirrel grew and grew, and the two began to bond. Once Milburn knew the baby squirrel was going to make it and could identify it as a male, he named him Bobby — Robert T. Squirrel to be precise (the T is for “The”). That’s not where the story ends. Bobby now has a family of his own in the little squirrel house that Milburn built for him. He and his squirrel wife, Barbara Ann, are the proud parents of four youngsters: Peepers, Jeepers, Creepers and Sneakers. Today, Bobby is perfectly comfortable with going back and forth from his outdoor home to his human’s home. Unfortunately, Milburn has run into some trouble with his HOA, which informed him that he needed to stop feeding the squirrels in his yard, as they were considered a “nuisance.” While Milburn clarified that raising one as a newborn is very different than trying to domesticate a wild squirrel, he also admits that they have sharp teeth and long claws that has left his face covered in Band-Aids. As for the HOA’s suggestion that he stop feeding his squirrel family, Milburn has no intention of allowing the organization to run his life. Meanwhile, he has created a children’s book called “Bobby and Friends” that includes 10 short stories for children 2-11, as well as an accompanying coloring book.
