Answer

For those who were curious the mystery is solved via this video at the 1:58 mark:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukn8niALWww

 Also of interest are the 2:55, 4:34, and 7:15 marks.  They show who did not do it.

The best news is the box was empty when we came home from work.  The possum appeared to have eaten a portion of the dog chow and then left for new adventures.  Since the box itself was not damaged and the door flaps were very small, we believe he left on his four feet.

Early Morning Excitement

The scene.  Early morning we are in the bedroom getting dressed.  All the dogs but Misty have come in to watch.  Last time we saw Misty she was in the kitchen washing everyone's breakfast bowls.  She is very conscientious about having clean dog bowls.

Bark, bark, bark, bark,...

What is Misty barking at?  None of the other dogs are barking.  They are quiet and relaxed.

Bark, bark, bark, bark,....

Ergh!  I hate barking.  Off to investigate.

Misty is standing in the middle of the family room barking at the door to the pool room.  "What are you barking at?  Go on out."

Misty trots to the dog door with me following her and goes on through.  I watch through the door's window to see what she does.  Once in the pool room she circles a toy on the floor at a distance.  She trots to the dog door to the backyard.  She glances out the window (it is at her eye level).  Misty turns around and stares suspiciously at the toy on the floor, then goes outside.

By now several other members of the pack have followed me.  Marvin goes through the pool room dog door.  He goes directly to the toy, picks it up, and starts back for the door.  He drops the toy on the floor before coming through the door.  "Great," I think.  "Now Misty will start barking again because the toy is in front of the dog door and she won't be able to come back in.

Squatting on the floor, I push the dog door flap open.  "Yuck."  It is the old toy they have been tearing apart that I probably should have thrown away.  I reach through the door and pick up the toy.

What do I have in my hand????  This is not a toy.  This is real fur.  Looking closer I see a baby possum.  S/he is doing what possums do best when threatened.  It curled in a tight circle playing dead.  It is breathing.  It is NOT something I want to pick up in my bare hands.  Too late for that train.

Baby possum in box

I carefully put the possum in a handy five gallon bucket.  With time and quiet, it unrolls, sits up, and starts to look better.  I give it a cardboard box lined with leaves with two exits, a smaller box as a bed, a bowl of water, and a dish of various food (canned dog food, cashews - google said they sometimes eat nuts and they were handy, and some fruit).  The box goes into the shade under some bushes in the front yard.  If s/he is smart, he relaxes in it today and scampers out tonight staying far away from the dangerous toy poodles in the backyard.

Now the question of the day is:  "Who brought the possum into the pool room in the first place?"  Time to ask some tough questions of the pack.

L2R - Raven, Marvin, Misty, Brittany, Chester, Katie

Also time to watch some video footage from the pool room.