Great pose and what a magnificent tail! A nice exposure too, Vanessa. I actually prefer the first version, as it makes the squirrel more dominant to my eye.
I imagine the squirrel’s tail is pointing “Look over there!” while it focuses directly forward in case there is a need to escape the opposite direction : )
The tail really helps the composition. I also like the 3d depth - blurred background, soft midway, and crisp foreground.
Some brightening and darkening of certain local areas might enhance the image.
Here is an example of an edit with some highlight and contrast and other light edits. I like the original also though because it appears natural.