They’re cute. They’re in your backyard. And they can be deadly to your Best Friend. In the Northwest, raccoons weighing as much as a hefty 50 pounds, present a distinct threat to even large dogs that surprise a masked mama and her youngsters.
And fact is, those rascal raccoons are in the backyard at our invitation: They just naturally gravitate to the food left on the back porch for an outside cat… or their amazingly dextrous hands work through the autumn vegetable garden and compost pile for scraps, or they dine on apples, fallen from trees. If a crawl space in accessible, they’ve been known to set up housekeeping in those cozy, dry places.
Our Washington Dept. of Fish and Wildlife reports that 90% of their requests for help with pesky wildlife are for raccoons. Not only are dogs and cats in jeopardy in an attack, but owners are often bitten breaking up the mele, requiring rabies shots.
This mama & child showed up at Cooper’s house. While only 10′ away from us on the porch, they seemed quite unconcerned by our presence, even while Cooper barked from safety inside. Were they looking for seeds, from the bird feeder above?
After snapping pix, we clanged cowbells to ward them off. The youngster started to climb the cedar, whilst mama arched her back & grumbled her displeasure. It was a strong protective stance, and ’twas easy to imagine her standing her ground to a dog. Then, they ambled off–joined by TWO less brave youths from the bushes…
We’re a bit more cautious on our nightly outings now. It’s a thrill to live where woodland creatures abound, but a little caution can keep everyone out of trouble.
