Hence the term...

Playing Possum.

Just before bed I take the mooch out for his evening wizz in the back yard and he starts barking to beat hell over near the side fence...enough that my wife comes out to see what's up.

I go in for a flashlight and hand it to her.

OMYGOD, it's a dead baby possum.

No it ain't

OMYGOD, get a bag and throw it in the trash

Wait a bit

OMYGOD, if you wait it'll be full of maggots

Take the mooch in and wait a bit

Sure enough...dead baby possum to live streak of fur in the blink of an eye.

Hence the term.

Excellent job tho. Eyes open and glazed, tongue hanging out. Pretty impressive for a first try, I expect. Fooled the dog, fooled the wife. Me, I was just lazy enough to want to throw it in the trash in the morning...so instead I got to look like I was some kind of BeastMaster of the Jersey Shore.