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East-West Animal Hospital hosted a birthday party for mascot Barley the Opossum

Tuesday, Feb 19, 2013 | On Target Page: Land O'Lakes, Lutz, Pets & Animal Husbandry

He's sweet, cuddly, and loves cottage cheese. He's Barley the Awesome Possum and he had his own birthday party.

Though most people couldn't imagine having a possum as a pet, Lea Murray, a registered veterinary technician at East-West Animal Hospital couldn't imagine life without her special possum, Barley.

Murray adopted Barley after he was the sole survivor of an accident that killed his mother and siblings. Since he was young and suffered from metabolic bone disease, Murray filed to get a permit to make Barley a permanent part of her home. Barley even sleeps with her, Murray said.

You can't just make a possum a pet, you have to have a permit, which requires specific circumstances and special care for the animal, Murray said. Since she adopted Barley, he's become the mascot of the East-West Animal Hospital, joining Murray every day at work, on outings and on lunch breaks. "I've never had a better pet," Murray said.

It's been a year since Barley was born and entered Murray's life. That means it's time to celebrate with a party and the community came to join in the fun enjoying pizza from Uptown Pizza and cake from Publix. There was also raffles, door prizes and "I partied with Barley the Possum" T-shirts for sale. The money raised by the event was donated to wildlife rescue organizations, so other animals in situations like Barley's can get the care they need.

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