Surprised Marsupial

Last night the dogs were very excited about something they saw / smelled through the screen door. I turned on the patio light, waited a few seconds then opened the door; the dogs went NUTS tearing through the garden looking for their critter. I followed the best I could with a flash light, but didn't see a thing. Berry started barking at the gate and would not stop; I hurried over there to calm things down (it was after 11 pm) and heard what I thought was an intruder messing with my neighbors RV. Nope, it was a Possum the size of Basil clinging for his dear life to the top of the fence. The poor guy. I decided to research possums today UC Davis has good information. I was surprised to learn that possums top speed is 7 MPH; I'm not sure how fast a Min Pin can run, but it looks like 20 MPH. I have allays turned the light on before letting the dogs out as a warning to any critter that may be lurking in the garden, from now on I will wait a little longer before opening the door. Possums have nasty claws and teeth.