Squirrels are not pets but I'm desperate

Since  my cat died a few months ago, I yearn for some animals to love.  Here's a few photo portraits of our new friend the squirrel who visits the balcony every day.  He climbs on our screen door and relaxes under the plants.  

2ui

Although we love him dearly, he is not our pet.  My understanding is that some people do have squirrels as pets.  What would you do if you found a baby squirrel?  Would you try to raise it?  Not a good idea according to the following article.

http://www.scwc.org/Library/Animals_SquirrelsAreNotPets.pdf

Squirrels can be awfully cute.  They can be destructive pests too.  Without my cat,  I'm a bit more inclined to feel affection for the squirrel.  The pigeons aren't bad either.  HELP - I'm desperate to have an animal in my life!

Heaven on earth, photographed by yours truly, the dog beach pawparazzi