An Edmonton couple who won Amazing Race Canada in 2019 found themselves involved in an amazing chase this week.
Anthony Johnson and James Makokis arrived home after a week away to discover signs of an intruder.
Papers were askew, someone had helped themselves to a snack in the kitchen and the suspect’s prints were discovered in the fireplace. Worse yet, the culprit, a squirrel, was still in the house.
The married couple, who braved many difficult challenges on the reality show, filmed their squirrel ordeal and shared it on social media.
“This was the second time this has happened to us,” Johnson explains in the video as he presents the evidence.
“We went back to the fireplace and we saw his prints at the scene of the crime which is where he tried to climb out last time.”
They then cut to a video of the chase. It shows Johnson armed with a broom and bucket as Makokis offers encouragement between horrified shrieks. They even try to reason with the squirrel at one point.
“Go outside please,” Makokis pleads.
They enlist help from their dog Lucy who only adds to the chaos as the squirrel hightails it to an upstairs bedroom with Johnson in pursuit.
The couple have already proven they’re quick thinkers on national television and those skills were evident as they removed a screen from the bedroom window before encouraging the squirrel in that direction.
“I was just going ‘go, go, go!’,” Johnson said. “And then he saw his freedom point and jumped out the window.”
There was no grand prize for the couple in this challenge but they were rewarded with a few good laughs.
Local exterminators tell CBC News that squirrels will sometimes leave willingly but there is a risk that they could become more agitated and cause further damage.
They say the best course of action is to contact a professional who can trap and remove the critter humanely.
