Heidi Watch '07

Love that horse aphorism: so true of most every species, including ours...

Got an email from a friend who works at an animal hospital in VA. They had two young dogs admitted last weekend in acute renal failure, both eating food on the recall list. They were still hospitalized three days later when she wrote. This is really quite bad. Hopefully many people will be moved to try better food, and stick with it once they see the improvement it brings.

So sorry to hear about the poor dogs at your friend's animal hospital. I hope they are doing well. Things don't look too promising for any animal that was exposed to the tainted food. By now you have probably heard that a rat poison (aminopterin). Apparently, to be effective, medical treatment must be initiated almost immediately after ingestion.

I am really angry about this now. I had expected some kind of toxin from moldy grain. That would be unacceptable too but certainly more defensible that rat poison which almost certainly had to be either (1) intentionally added by someone who wanted to harm the industry or kill the animals or (2) used in the grain storage areas by people who cared more about profit than ...oh, ok, never mind, that's last one is pretty much the definition of "corporation".

I am even MORE angry to learn that the grain was purchased from China. I'm not anti-China, just concerned that food items (perhaps human food items next) are being purchased from the lowest bidder without regard for regulatory differences in various regions. I'd prefer that my dog's food didn't contain wheat gluten but if it does, I'd like that gluten to come from Iowa or Nebraska or some other midwestern dairy state.

tcs, I just saw that Science Diet is now on the list, although at this time it is only on the cat list. Sorry, but I thought you would want to know.

It's hard to imagine how intentional sabotage could have such a widespread impact; unintentional and reprehensible contamination in the factory is more likely. And I suspect that importation of ingredients is quite common: cost of labor is so much less, you know, and that enables the low prices expected of grocery brands to be competitive. There's a real need for a public outcry demanding stricter regulation and (especially) enforcement of standards for pet food. Try to find the book I mentioned; what we're seeing here is truly the tip of the iceberg.

Ok, now back to the original topic - Heidi.

I've noticed that she has learned to wait for her dinner. When she 1st returned from her winter sabatical, she would raid the feeder each evening at dusk, making it difficult for me to find that perfect moment to remove the feeder between the last snack for the late cardinals and the beginning of the raccoon raids. She hasn't touched the feeder in a week or 2. Even when I'm running late and don't get the food out until an hour or so after dark, she waits. I'm sure, however, there is a limit to her patience.; )

As I mentioned before, I bought several different meals when I ordered the Chinese delivery on Wed. Tonight I took out a large order of General Tso's Chicken - reportedly the absolute worst on the menu in terms of calories, fat, and salt, BTW. Given that I shouldn't have ordered it to begin with and that Gen Tso's does not reheat well, I decided to donate the entire package - some 3-4cups of fried breaded chicken pieces, in a sweet and spicy sauce with a handful of broccoli on top - to Heidi. I added the remains of the 1/4 cantaloupe from my lunch. It was an extraordinary melon, very sweet, with an intoxicating aroma.

So I took the large bounty of chicken, broccoli, and melon out to the back of the yard where the sweet scent of cantaloupe hung so thick in the air that even with my seasonal allergies and human olfactory inadaquacies, I could not help but smell it. I felt sure this would make a most alluring invitation for Heidi if she were anywhere nearby.

I sat on a small garden bench for a while hoping against hope to see her emerge from the branches atop the fence. It was nice out, 70ish, the dark, clear, sky adorned with gleaming bits of starlight. The branches of the weeping willow danced upon a gengle breeze like long, straight, windblown hair.
For all too brief a respite, time almost stood still. It was so peaceful out there in the garden. I felt I could stay forever -- atleast, that is, until memories of a lengthy todo list tugged at my annoying inner adult.

I moved my bench back a few feet in hopes that a little space might help to draw Heidi out. Somehow I "felt" that she was there across the fence watching, waiting for me to leave. I waited a bit, gave up yet a few more feet of space, leaned back and pondered the stars for a bit, and moved again, this time to the patio table. Still no sign of Heidi.

Well, ok, then, I'd have to "cheat". I went inside, turned off the outside lights, removed Widget's "potty bells" from the doorknob to avoid allerting her with sound [even knowing as I do that she can hear virtually inaudible levels of sound], waited a few minutes, and then sneaked back out again. No Heidi. I repeated this proceedure 2 more times. On my 3rd trip out I sat for a moment staring at the shadowy feeding area. Still no Heidi. Just as I was about to give up, I decided to turn the floodlights on again just in case, and there in the newly illuminated shadows emerged the hazy grey figure of a raccoon eating with a silence and stealth that would make a feline weep with envy. She may very well have been there all the time, her grey fir blending so easily with the weathered grey of the fence and darkness of the near moonless night.

I sat down at the bistro table and stayed with her. It was obvious she was aware of my presence. She continued to eat, but was careful to keep one eye on me as well. I could see that my company made her less comfortable, and I felt sorry for invading her space, like some thoughtless fan showing up at a restaurant to gawk at a celebrity. I looked away, watched the stars some more, tried to atleast spare her that feeling we all get when eyes fixed in an endless stare and trained upon us seem to bore a hole right through us - tried instead to limit myself to the occasional polite glance.

Suddenly, a door slammed at a nearby house, and like a young colt frightened by the wind, in a single move she lept backward and sideways onto the fence post some 3 ft or more away. With what seemed like another single move she was near the top of the 6ft fence. I called to her hoping, but not really expecting, to interrupt her flight. Her pace slowed. She paused for a moment, then pulled herself up to a sitting position atop the fence. I continued to speak reassuringly from afar. She sat, poised on the fence, her body facing into the forest, ready to disappear in a single leap, her head turned looking back into the yard assessing the situation. A moment later and to my amazement, she turned, climbed back down into the yard, and resumed her meal.

And then - as animals never cease to amaze me - Snowball appeared atop the fence. Surprised to see him, I expected that he would wait there for Heidi to finish, hoping to glean something from the remains. Quite to my utter amazement, he descended the fence post. There I was relegated to the position of helpless observer as the little white oppossum slowly waddled along the fence bottom toward Heidi. "NO!" I screamed - on the inside - my brain wildly ticking off the options for how I might intervene in this unfolding tragedy, assessing the consequences of each such option, tossing each aside for fear it might well make matters worse.

I could not believe what I was seeing. Didn't Snowball know that Heidi wasn't going to stand for this offense? He was considerably smaller than she. His diminutive size and brilliant white coat actually caused me to question for one horrible moment if I had left my little Maltese Widget out, if that white "puppy" over there in the murky shadows might be my little dog about to be "killed" before my eyes any minute.But,no, I reasoned, I'd seen him descend the fence, and his nose was a bit long after all...and then he reached Heidi. I paused afraid even to breathe as I awaited the inevitable brawl, two hungry wild animals each determined to enjoy this meal of chicken, vegetables, and melon.

I had been pretty sure that Heidi would prevail, but then suddenly I found myself fearing for her safety, imagining those menacing teeth tearing into her flesh. Petrified I sat clinging to the edge of my seat in disbelief as each move and each moment of the real life horror flick before me seemed all the more impossible than the one before it. For what seemed an eternity, Snowball crouched beside Heidi. I strained to see details in the darkness, to understand what was happening. And then, against a million to 1 odds, I watched as Snowball dipped his snout into the bowl. For a brief time they looked like domestic cats accustomed to sharing the same dish. There was no growling, no snarling, no spitting, none of the disgruntled sounds I had heard when the 5 raccoons tried to share dinner. There was only silence. I sat there in complete and utter astonishment, unable to believe the signal my eyes were relaying to my brain. I struggled to make some sense of this, waited for one or the other of them to snap or bite the other. Their faces were side by side and all but touching. Surely someone had to claim this food. Surely 2 wild animals of different species could not share a dinner bowl.

Snowball took a clump of food and carried it about 4ft away where he crouched eating even as Heidi continued her meal nearby. When he had finished, again he wandered over beside Heidi. Again he stuck his face into the bowl beside her. Again the 2 ate without obvious discord. By this point, I almost WANTED Heidi to take some action to gently but firmly defend her meal, but she did not. Even as snowball crouched eating beside her, his body only a little more than 1/2 the size of hers and looking little more than the size of my 5lb Maltese, Heidi turned, walked quietly back to the fence and departed onto an overhanging limb.I called to her but somehow knew she would not be coming back tonight. Her demeanor was not that of flight or fear this time. She was simply done.

Not wanting to scare Snowball away but none the less curious, I went over quietly to check the bowl. But for the bits of sauce clinging here and there to the sides, it was empty.

That is totally cool, Cheryl; how awesome to be able to witness such a great "peaceable kingdom" episode. I've seen a raccoon and possum scavenge through spilled contents of garbage can together, but never seen them eat at close quarters like you describe. And you are making real progress in building Heidi's trust again!

Ruth, I had the very same thought (tip of the iceburg to which you alluded), and I want to thank you SO very much for making me aware that this is not some isolated accident. I will look for the book. With web and other resources, I feel sure I can find it. I haven't done so yet only because I have been so unbelievably unable to catch up with even the absolute minimum of what must be done. (To illustrate, on Monday I received a nasty gram from the HOA regarding incredibly minor things they feel must be taken care of ASAP so I had to take 2 days off from work to arrange for someone to paint the front door and the trim around the front door and around the garage and to get the kid next door to do an emergency mowing to trim the tops off those 4" high weeds that have sprouted in the lawn and arrange for a landscape crew to come out and weed, feed,edge, and prune - now, consider that it is BARELY spring and I had a landscape crew here in Dec 06 to do all the pruning and mulching and edging necessary to put everything to bed for "winter". How much could it all have grown since then? BTW, I handle the backyard cottage garden and the front and side foundation roses, azaleas, irises, etc, but have give the lawn, shrubs, wax and crepe myrtles over to the landscapers for lack of time. Given the time crunch I'd let them take care of some of the flowers if any of them knew how.)

Anyhow, I will get the book and follow your link to get better food for Widget. After today's news I'm so freaked out I've actually contemplated cooking him chicken and rice - but for the problems of time and concerns about balanced nutrition.

As for the companies involved in this mess, they have all failed miserably to protect the animals whose lives and diets were intrusted to them. I don't say this out of malice but out of desire for change. I hope they all suffer massive financial losses as people like me who, through lack of knowledge, once trusted them sieze this opportunity to move to some safer means of feeding their beloved pets. I hope that enough people are sufficiently outraged to be willing to make more than just a temporary change. I hope that this totally indefensible pursuit of profit over the lives of inocent animals results in major upheaval within the industry, regulatory changes, and serious financial consequences for those invloved.

Thanks, Ruth (I'm running 1 post behind here, responding to one while you are posting another).

I sat frozen, watching, taking it all in, and thinking "WHY do I always come out here without my camera?!" Over and over I kept thinking what an incredible, and maybe once in a lifetime, photo op that would have been; but then again, that Heisenberg problem, a photo on so dark a night would have necessitated a succession of flashes, and for want of a blurred picture I would have altered and spoiled the very moment I sought to preserve. Although I cannot now share it with all of you in so concrete a fashion as would have been possible through photography, at least I was able to let it play out naturally and to record and preserve it with memory and words.

Each time I see him, I worry a little about Snowball. He is incredibly white. Even on the darkest moonless night I can always see him sitting on the fence from all the way across the yard. He practically glows. It's a good thing they are willing to eat carrion. I can't imagine him sneaking up on any kind of prey. Conversely, on even the blackest of night's he's a sitting duck for anything out there with a taste for oppossum. Seeing him next to Heidi, he looked like he may be a bit of a runt, too. Still, he's made it this far...I say "he", but realize that "she" may all to well be a girl.

As to the raccoon and oppossum eating together, I figure (1) they "know" each other since they both "own" my yard and the forest immediately behind it and (2) by the time he arrived Heidi was already full and most of the food was already gone. That was easily 4 cups of [high calorie] food. I'm quite a few times the size of Heidi, and I would explode before I finished all of that in one sitting. I'm not sure where she put it all as it is.

It was an interresting thing to see, however. I am beginning to think that we know so much less about animals than we think we know.

So true, Cheryl: we know very little, really, about animals; sad, because we could learn so much from them. They are born knowing how to learn in the world, instead of raping and pillaging the world as we do.

You're probably right to worry a bit about Snowball; white mutations are rarely successful in the wild. They mostly prey on bugs and grubs, so his gleam is not an issue there; but it does make him/her a really visible target for larger predators.

Believe me, I share your outrage at the pet food industry. This is not their first disaster, by any means, nor will it be their last until major changes are forced upon them. Like you, I hope many many consumers will be prompted to switch their pets to better food, and to make that switch permanently. But sadly there will always be a large market for generic and grocery brands. Many people can't afford anything better, and others don't put the same high priority on their companion animals as we do. For these people, and their animals who have no choice about their home and diet, the change that's needed is in the regulations governing pet food manufacture, and better (read as ANY effective) enforcement of those regulations. I get constant emails asking me to sign one petition or another for social change, and have been surprised not to receive any on this issue. The public simply has no idea what goes into their pet's food. A friend once joked that "Food Pets Die For" should be required reading before becoming a pet owner: great idea, but highly unlikely. The manufacturers will not make changes voluntarily, I promise you; their shoddy ingredients and practices are key to maximizing their profits. One hope is that the owners of the affected pets will all sue the heck out of the companies; I certainly would. The attendant publicity could be an impetus for regulatory changes.

Yes, I very much agree to the need for regulations. I just didn't realize they weren't there to begin with. As for the people who buy dog food at the grocery store, I suspect there are also many people like me who thought [before now] that it made as much sense to buy pet food at the grocery store as to buy people food there. It was never for lack of money or willingness to pay that I chose not to buy gourmet and specialty dog foods. I don't feel that I need to go somewhere other than the grocery store to buy my own food in order to avoid being poisoned. I thought the same protections existed for pets as for people, and that the difference between grocery store brands and gourmet brands were a matter of taste not safety. If you think about it, before now why would the average person think that buying pet food from the grocery store was any more normal than buying people food there?

I sometimes buy specialty and gourmet products for myself, but I do so for taste not for fear of being poisoned otherwise. I've order seafood shipped from Alaska and cheesecake from a restaurant in NY. Recently, I ordered salt: pink mined in HI, red from somewhere in S America, blah, blah, etc. But I just wanted to see what all the hoopla was about. I still eat fish from the grocery store and sprinkle my food with the white stuff from the Morton box, and I didn't order that self indulgent cheesecake because I thought Sara Lee was going to poison me. The special cheesecake from NY is baked fresh with real cream and butter and such and shipped to me overnight; it tastes decadent, that's all. I thought the difference between grocery store and specialty dog foods was the same. I'm not afraid to buy seafood, salt, and cheesecake from Publix. Why should I be afraid to buy dog food there? (Ok, that's a retorical question.)

I'll just bet that in addition to the people who can't or won't buy better food for their pets, there are lots of other people out there just like me who just didn't know they needed to. I buy pricey treats for Widget: freeze dried lamb lung and liver, for instance. (BTW, I was thinking that when I can get closer to Heidi again, close enough to toss her treats, I might give her a few pieces of the lung and liver. I cut it into little bite size pieces with my pruning shears, esp the lung which comes in fairly large chunks. Widget LOVES the stuff. I figured I'd toss a few bite size pieces to Heidi.)

Anyhow, I'll buy Widget better food from now on, and I hope this event causes more people to realize that they need to also. And, yes, I do hope that we are able to get regulations put in place and inforced so that someday buying pet food from the grocery store will make as much sense as does buying people food there. I think it makes sense to also have less expensive options for those who need them, options with perhaps a higher ratio of grains to meat, but no should have to fear that there pet food will be laced with poison. That sounds more like some nameless product you might expect to buy from some shady character in an alley somewhere.

All this business with the pet food makes me almost glad I'm not currently a pet owner. I miss having a pet, but I'm currently just not equipped to care for one properly as DH is disabled and I have my own health issues. It's too bad though, because a dog would be such good company for DH when I'm not home. well, that's a whole other story.

Cheryl, the whole idea of Heidi sharing with Snowball is really something. Even if she was almost finished eating and didn't really care I'm really surprised she didn't defend 'her' dinner. Maybe something in the maternal instinct? but Snowball isn't a baby anymore.

>>tcs, I just saw that Science Diet is now on the list, although at this time it is only on the cat list. Sorry, but I thought you would want to know

Thanks Cheryl,

We buy the big #40 bags... so i've had this one a while.

WOW i missed 1 day in here and have a ton to catch up on. I saw something about Snowball and Heidi... so i'm excited to find that post.

Terese

Hi, JoanJ.

So far everything that I have read and/or seen on the news has indicated that all of the recalled items are wet/can or wet/pouch only. In fact, lately they have been indicating that it only pertains to "slices in gravy" varieties of canned (or pouch) food.

Sorry, if I caused you any extra concern. My dog only eats dry food, as well, but personally am concerned about the safety of ANY item made by a company on the list. A few weeks ago they didn't know the rat poison was in the canned stuff, either. I don't want my dog (or Heidi or Snowball for that matter) to one of the ones who "helps" to uncover a problem in the dry stuff. I have concerns about whether the dry food may be mfg in the same facility as the effected items or whether the same batch of wheat may have been used in both. From what I've read, once an animal consumes the poison [which has been found in large quantity in tested items], unless treated almost immediately, there is virtually no treatment and no hope for survival. I just don't want to take that chance, even with the dry.

Well, tonight I waited a few minutes. She didn't show, and I didn't go back out to check on her. I figured she was probably just over the fence waiting and that between her and Snowball, the food would neither be wasted nor sit around for long.

Tonight's menu: an outdated [but still smelling fine] 24 oz plain yogurt with 1pkg of McD's maple syrup (from my stash, I'm a saver, what can I say), some ham trimmings, and a handful of puppy biscuits all stirred into the last cup of rice from Chinese deliver with outer portion of 1/4 cantaloupe on top.

Heidi really seemed to enjoy the last yogurt I gave her so hopefully she will like tonight's menu, as well.

Thanks scutler, I don't want to take that chance either. I have to assume that since they haven't gotten sick from eating from the bag of dry we have now, that it must be okay. They've been eating out of it for a few weeks already, and show no signs of illness at all. I will keep feeding that to them for the time being, and hope that by the time that bag is empty all this is straightened out. I have quit feeding any type of wet food to the cats and dog. However, since they are used to getting their wet food twice a day, they are having to learn to eat canned chicken and tuna. At first they stuck their noses up and wanted their regular food, but they are starting to come around. We have ground beef thawing out now, and they are going to have to eat that tomorrow whether they like it or not.

I didn't follow your Heidi threads last year, but your thread this year has caught my attention. I hope Heidi and Snowball warm up enough to you so you can get some pictures to share with us. When my kids were young, we rescued a raccoon baby who's mother had been killed. Actually, there were three of them, we took one, and two of our neighbors each took one each. We raised them on a bottle until they could eat on their own. At the end of the summer, all three of them took off, and we never did see any of them again. I have always hoped that they were still wild enough to make it on their own. The one we had, the kids named CooCoon, since they were too little to be able so say raccoon; the other two neighbors named theirs Randy and Bandit.

Jan,

I know what you mean about the mystery of the 2 animals eating together. Honestly, if I'd read that somewhere I doubt if I would have believed it. I'm having enough difficulty with it as it is, and I saw it with my own eyes. I am at a loss to explain it. I've tried all manner of rationalizations, but have no real answers. Snowball is grown now, although smallish. Last summer Heidi chased him away when he tried to eat with her and the kids.

I thought about it some today while working in the garden. They both hang out in my yard regularly and in the forest directly behind me. Before Heidi returned, Snowball could be found in the yard or sitting on the back fence any time I went out at night. I figure they've lived around each other since last spring. They've likely dealt with each other before on numerous occasions. I guess they've just worked it out already. Maybe they've eaten together [from my offerings] on other nights when I didn't go out there. I just don't know, but I figure I only caught a "snippet" in their relationship.

tcs,

I noticed you were missing. wondered. glad you're back.

JoanJ,

About feeding the dogs during the current pet food crisis, here is some info I've acquired. If you are going to "cook" for them, all of the vets that I've consulted as well as those interviewed on TV news, recommend [for dogs] a mix of 1/2 white rice and 1/2 boiled [or baked or broiled] chicken breast. Some indicate that you can also substitute sweet potato for the rice. This mix is supposed to have the right amount of protein to fat to carbs, but if they stay on it for any time they need a vitamin supplement, too. Both of my dogs have been very fond of veggies like green beens, green peas, broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus (the cat I used to have loved this one, too. i give them the tougher part on the end, the part I don't eat).

Major dietary changes can upset their tummies. Bland foods like rice are supposed to help with this. Foods with a high fat content (like HB unless its the super low fat type) may cause diahrea and/or pancreatitis (my other dog had this, not good), especially in small dogs. Avoid onion, garlic, grapes, raisons, mushrooms, raw eggs, and chocolate, all of which contain substances which may be harmful or even toxic to dogs.

I think Heidi will come around in time. I don't really interact with Snowball (the oppossum). I just named him one night last summer when he showed up to try to eat with Heidi and her kids. Snowball was just a tiny baby then. At first I thought he was a funny looking white mouse, until I noticed his long nose. I could have taken a photo the other night, if I'd thought to take the camera out. I'll get some soon. I just don't want to scare Heidi with the flash right now until she's been around longer.

Raising a baby raccoon must have been a wonderful - and at times trying - experience. Lucky for the babies that you and your neighbors were there for them. I read that raccoons are perhaps the only species that can return to the wild with relative ease (after a period of living with humans). One big hurdle they face, however, when raised by people is a difficulty in learning to feed themselves in the wild. I hope that your CooCoon and the others are out there doing well. At least you gave them a good chance, and raccoons seem to be quite resourceful.

You mentioned that you just started following this year's thread. Things haven't really gotten "going" yet this year. If you'd like to see some photos, you might want to follow the links back to the other 3 (I think) threads and scan for the pictures. Just a brief summary, one day last spring Heidi (although she didn't have a name then) just climbed down my back fence (which borders a forest) into the backyard with me and my then 8mo old Maltese puppy. It was late afternoon and still daylight. I tried to run her off because I was afraid of her and of rabies. She would not leave. She would climb back up the fence when I "shoo'd" her and then come back down again. Not knowing what was "wrong" with her, what she wanted, and what to do, I consulted my vet who transferred me to a rehabber. After listening to what happened, the rehabber said that the raccoon (that at the time I referred to as "he") was a lactating female with babies nearby and that she was hungry and desperate to find food quickly so that she could get back to her babies before a predator found them.

She asked (more than suggested) me "if I could" to put some dog food out for her preferrably on the other side of the fence and as far from my house as possible. She assurred me that as soon as babies were old enough to fend for themselves, the raccoon would leave. As I could not get to the other side of the fence, I started making "doggy" bags by putting dog food and left overs in a clean, edible, compost pail liner made of cornstarch, tying a knot at the top, and tossing it over the fence into the forest at the spot where she had climbed down the fence. For weeks I "fed the forest" as I used to say, without seeing any sign of her. Then 1 day I went out there to toss the bag over, and there in the limbs of the little tree at the forest edge were a bunch of little baby raccoons, standing on the tree limbs, looking like little koala bears. They were waiting for their meal. They were used to me. Apparently, they had waited across the fence with their mom each day (once they were big enough).

After that, they started "streaming" over the fence every time I walked outside in the late afternoon or at night. I couldn't even take my dog out without them hearing us and coming over the fence to visit. They learned to come when I called them. I sat with them and Heidi in the edge of my yard each evening. I would toss dog biscuits to them. They let me get closer and closer until eventually several of them were coming right up to me, even rushing to me, each wanting to get the treats 1st. Sometimes they came over the fence before dark. I got some pretty good photos on those occasions. I even got a couple of video clips. They were so adorable. Like your baby raccoon, when they grew up, they left. I'm hoping to help Heidi raise another litter this year.

Here is a link to a webshots album where I put most of the photos (which can also be found in the prior threads in the Heidi series) http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/556549524WPNWFi
The video clips are also at this location (as well as google video, links in prior threads)

You're right, Cheryl; most people buy their pet food at the grocery simply because they have no idea there's a potential problem with it. Didn't mean to imply otherwise. Was just thinking that, even after this scare, many people will continue to buy grocery brands, either through lack of knowledge, lack of funds, or different priorities where animals are concerned. It's for these folks, and their animals, that I hope the regulations and enforcement will be changed. I've seen several of these disasters over the years, though this one is by far the worst and most-publicized; it's very frustrating that nothing much changes as a result, setting the stage for further disasters down the road.

Yogurt is a great snack for animals; especially if Heidi is expecting, that will do her a world of good!

Thanks scutler, I will go back and read up so I know the whole story.

: ) YAAAAAY!!! ( :

Last night I was running about 30 minutes behind my usual dinner appointment with Heidi. I just took out 2 cups of dog food chunks. As I was walking out the back door, I could hear the familiar (from last summer) sound of claws on the fence. It was Heidi ascending the fence as I approached. She had been in the yard in the very spot where I feed her, either she was waiting for her food or I just happened to catch her checking the dish. But I suspect that with her excellent sense of smell she didn't need to come over the fence to know that the dish was still empty. At any rate, she left before I got in sight and I was unable to convince her to come back. After a few minutes I left.

I had decided to skip tonight - afterall, last year we had decided that it was best to leave them to "prepare" their own dinner sometimes. At roughly an hour after Heidi's usual dinner time, however, it suddenly dawned on me that I can't "not" feed Heidi. Oh, sure, I can avoid taking food out and putting it in her DISH, but then tomorrow morning after I leave for work, she'll just raid the bird feeder. I visualized my new feeder - with springs that still work perfectly to keep the squirrels at bay - saw it lying on the ground with the little feeder ports ripped out and turned around to funnel the seeds out instead of holding them in, spring mechanism mangled. Realizing that I liked the current situation in which Heidi stayed at the back of the yard and left the feeder to the birds, I grabbed some dog food and rushed out to feed her...I am well trained, don't you know.

Again I took a few cups of dog food, this time with some leftover lo mein on top. Just like last night, as I stepped out the back door and before I had gotten past all the shrubs and roses that blocked my view, I heard her on the fence, leaving. This time I called out to her from a distance. As I approached the feeding area, I called out a few more times, softly, gently. I saw her at the top of the fence. I walked up and put the food down then turned to walk back to my little bench just 15ft away (it's light and I keep dragging it around).

Something felt different tonight. Even though Heidi was no longer on the fence or visible, and despite the fact that I hadn't planned to feed her at all tonight much less try to spend time with her, suddenly I felt a rush of excitement. I knew she would come to me now. I don't know how. I just did. I think when you spend a lot of time around animals you learn a different kind of perception, it's like in yoga when you "quiet" you mind to see more clearly. With animals, esp wild animals, there is little or no verbal communication; but with time you "hear" more in the silence.

This feeling of certainty was so great that even though on every prior night this season she had refused to come back while I was there, even at a much a greater distance, tonight I sat on the bench just 15ft from the food and called to her. Encouraged now, I called not tentatively but with the enthusiasm with which you would call a pet that you knew would come - but softly and sweetly still. And then a triangular face began to take shape amidst the shadows atop the fence. She moved to the top of the "climbing" post, sat for a moment looking at me, then climbed down, and walked the 10ft or so toward the bowl...and me. Once she made up her mind and started descending the fence, she walked confidently to the bowl without hesitation and sat down to eat.

I was smiling ear to ear!!! She was back! As she ate I did my very best to be as still as possible. The mosquitos were constantly piercing my flesh, but I wasn't about to give up this moment to go back inside. Every now and then when I could no longer stand it, I would rub, not slap my arms and neck alway keeping my arms close to me in a "hugging" position to avoid frightening her by flailing my arms about.

She seemed relatively at ease tonight. A couple of times she stopped eating and raised her head to listen to something, like the sound of my dog at the back door looking for me or a sound coming from next door. Each time she did this, I spoke to her reassuringly and was greatly encouraged to see that she responded by immediately relaxing and dropping her head to resume eating.

When she had finished her meal, she turned to leave. I called after her as she walked toward the fence. She paused for a moment at the sound of my voice then continued. I called again. Again, she paused. As she walked away, I called to her a total of 3 times, each time, quite to my amazement [esp since she had already eaten], she paused for a moment before resuming her departure.

I had been an hour late, but she had waited at the fence. She hadn't left to look elsewhere for food, nor had she started rummaging about the yard. She had waited at the fence... and had trusted me enough to come to me to eat. It seemed somehow significant. Did she know that I was intentionally bringing the food to her? Not just that I was putting the food there and coincidentally she was sneaking it when I left? Could a wild animal comprehend the odd concept of one animal bringing food to another? For no apparent reason?

Ironic, isn't it, that on the one day when I had planned not to feed her, we made a huge leap forward and advanced our '07 relationship considerably?

A little while ago I heard some sounds outside, something prowling around the house. Flashlight in hand I went out to see who it was. I hoped that Heidi had not started rumaging about the yard. Well, it was Snowball. He shuffled back to the fence and sat on top of it. He didn't seem particularly afraid of me either. Suddenly I realized that I was turning into one a wildlife version of the classic cat woman - no not the sexy crime fighter, the weird old lady with a bunch of cats, or in my case critters.

As I looked at Snowball on the fence, I felt a little sorry for him. Clearly he was looking for his part of the food, but there hadn't been any left overs. Do I have to feed him now, too? Glad you told me, Ruth, that he eats insects and such. I have japanese beetle grub problems and frequently see funnel shaped impressions in the back lawn and along the paths and edges of beds where something has been eating grubs. The impressions are a perfect fit for his snout. Well I guess that makes for a symbiotic relationship. I get rid of a handful of grubs each night and he gets a meal. Every one he eats is one less grub to eat the roots from under my grass and one less beetle to chew up my roses.

Congratulations! It's not even April yet, and Heidi's already eating in your presence, and responding to being called. This should be a very promising season for you with her.

And no, I don't think you should feel obligated to feed Snowball as well: makes more sense to let him work on your grub problems!

Thanks, Ruth!

It was incredible because (1) I was sitting 1/2 way between the food and the patio table where I sat all the other times this year and (2) it's the very 1st time this year that she came to the food in my presence this season - all the other times I had to go inside and "sneak" back out after she had begun eating.

I must say I appreciate that Snowball does his "work" without damaging garden plants. He just pokes little holes in the lawn - I think of it as aerating. And his service is "green", earth friendly, and chemical free.

Yayyy! How exciting. :-) :-)

very cool to have your "Heidi" back again. and how awesome that she stops at the sound of your voice.

this will be an exciting summer.

OH and cute lil snowball.... i would not have been able to resist.... i most likely would have brought out morsels for him... even if it was just a snack.

Wow. Hello, guys. I missed you all this winter. I just checked in to see what was happening with Heidi--if she came back and I am soooooo thrilled to hear that she IS BACK. We all have that emotional attachment to Heidi now...and your relationship with her. I love Snowball, I call ours Opie--we trap the field mice in the house and toss them down by the compost pile and Opie takes care of things. Natures way of recycling. I stopped feeding our coons around the end of November when it FINALLY got cold here in Western PA. I have just started again a few weeks ago as the weather is warmer and they are back out and are HUNGRY. I can't see them right now on the video since DH has ordered another larger infrared light so we can see the whole group when he gets it set up. Can't wait. Right now, I go out periodically after dark with a flashlight and check to see how many are here--anywhere from one to five. Some of them run totally away back into the forest or up a tree, while a few others just back off a little, listen to me talking to them, and then when I go back in, they resume their eating (dog food+whatever). That is new since last year. They all used to totally disappear. I guess some realize now that I am not going to come after them or hurt them. (That makes me feel good.) In an article I found on the "Outdoor Coon Welfare State," it says that "beginning in MARCH the females who have just given birth begin to come to the food pans. By April, all of last years coons who have survived the winter come to eat voraciously. In JUne, the mothers will bring their babies." I think this probably varies with the weather. The females now can still be pregnant or already given birth. Once it is time for the new babies to come out-Heidi will have to chase all the other litter away. Do you think that is her last years babies visiting and not suitors? They are well trained in where to go for a dinner, too. She trained them well. Do you recognize any of them now that they are bigger, or haven't they been around as much? This is so exciting. Glad to hear from ya all. Karen (liebran)

Floridian,
What a hilarious image, the whole bunch of us sitting around the edge of the forest, grinning, wearing those "long-armed" jackets, and waiting for Heid's next visit.

Marylyn, Terese, thanks, guys!


And, now for an update...

Another interesting thing that has happened to me this winter is that I read the book Tabasco the Saucy Raccoon by Lyn Hancock. About a wildlife worker who raised a baby to an adult and all the cuteness and trouble Tabasco got into. Later on this winter, the author Lyn Hancock had found our email list Raccoonwatchers and joined, so that was exciting. We can ask her questions directly and she is very helpful. She has traveled all over working to save or study all types of wildlife. A very interesting woman. And her 2 raccoons were Rocky and Tabasco. So much for that. If you are interested in joining that email list, I would just send an empty email to: raccoonwatchers-subscribe@yahoogroups.com I am not affiliated with it in any manner. Some interesting people. So I am watching to see what Heidi is up to these next few days. Love, Karen

Hi, Karen!

I wondered where you were. I'm so glad to hear that your raccoons are now letting you begin to approach. It may seem small, but it's the 1st step. I remember that last year you were only able to see them on video as they would not remain in the area if you went out to check on them. How exciting for you!

Yes, I am very excited to have Heidi back and even more so now that she is starting to let me get near her. As Ruth pointed out we are ahead of schedule as it was well into April before she came down the fence to approach me last spring.

That 1 evening when there were 5 raccoons out there, that's Heidi + 4, I was beginning to think they might be the kids. I only saw that group once. A couple of nights I saw Heidi out there with 1 other raccoon. After a few night, all of the other raccoons disappeared. Now, each night only Heidi is out there. As a result, I am now inclined to believe that Ruth was right, and that the "extra" raccoons that were out there for a short time were this year's potential boyfriends who have all disappeared now that their work is done. It all seems to fit: the timing, the behavior, etc. Also, her squabbles with the extra raccoons resulted in a few nasty and physical confrontations which were much different than her behavior with the kids, and which, even a the time, reminded me somewhat of behavior I'd seen from female cats when their "friends" got too close at the wrong moment. At any rate, it has been just Heidi for a while now.

Glad to have you back.

Thanks, Karen, I may just sign up for that.

Last night, I took a nap after work. By the time I awoke, I was OVER an hour late in feeding Heidi. I jumped up, grabbed some dog food - no time to prepare anything "fancy" - and then remembering the success of the night before, I shoved some treats in my pockets: a few of Widget's peanut butter yogurt "candies", a few of his "cocoa" and vanilla candies, one of his favorite strips of Dingo Beef Jerky (he LOVES this stuffI). At the door, I grabbed the bag of roasted peanuts in the shell.

As I went outside, I did not hear the sound of claws on the fence, nor did I see any sign of Heidi. I put the food down, sat on the bench, and called to her, but all to no avail. I did not sense her presence. The forest seemed empty. I tossed a few of the peanuts over toward the fence to tempt her, just in case she was watching me. I ate a few peanuts just to up the ante. Still she was a no-show. I came back inside, emptied my pockets, and, sad at having missed our appointment, regrettably, I ate the remaining peanuts (bad human!). :(

Tonight, I rushed out (this time without treats) at dusk to grab the feeder and found Heidi perched on top of it. It was a bit before our appointed time. I guess since I didn't make it last night, she didn't bother to wait for me tonight. As I opened the door, she leaped from the feeder. I called her name, and again she responded. She paused as if to say, "Oh, it's you, hi!" Unfortunately, at the same time Widget darted out and was upon her. He's older now and more aggressive. While still weighing in somewhere between 4.5 and 5lbs, he now believes it's his sworn duty to defend our turf. I feared the worse for him as he hemmed Heidi up against the house. Everything after that happened so fast that all I know is she got out of that "corner" only to get cornered again somewhere on the patio, but in the end both she and Widget emerged safe and sound. Whew! Sure do appreciate her patience with him and his folly - as it surely is folly for a Maltese to try to pick a fight with a raccoon.

After I got Widget back inside, I scooped up about 3cups of dogfood and quickly ran outside (no time to grab treats). I put the food in her dish and started walking back to my bench. This time without even waiting for me to sit down or to call to her, she leaped from the fence, hurried over to the food and began eating quite ravinously. She seemed quite hungry, and I again wondered if she'd been away hunting last night when I'd arrived late too feed her and if perhaps Snowball (and others) had polished off the food before she returned. I am inclined now to think that Snowball has also learned when the official dinner time is.

She ate with the ferver of the semi-starved. When she'd consumed about 1/2 of the dog food, she stopped and walked over to the other dish where I had recently been placing her water. I hoped against hope that it would contain even some small amount of water. It's been most dry here the past week or so. Each morning I've looked at my parched plants and promised to water them as soon as I got home from work, but each evening I'd forgotten both to water the plants and often even to add water to Heidi's bowl. And so, she backed away from it as it was bone dry.

And then, much to my amazement, she started walking toward me! I was SO excited. Such luck that last night my pockets were bulging with treats and tonight I had nothing to offer her. She walked up to within about 2 feet of me, stopped to sniff at the peanut shells I'd dropped last night, and then turned around and went back to her bowl. When she got back to her bowl, she resumed eating, this time with her back to me. I thought that was also significant as it seemed to show a higher level of trust. Only a few nights earlier when I had approached while she was eating, she'd turned around to face (and watch) me while she ate.

I was running late for some other obligations. I have a contractor arriving at day break tomorrow, and I needed to pick up some supplies for him before the stores closed for the evening. I had to leave. Moreover, very much wanted to get some water for Heidi before she left. I stood up and quietly walked back toward the house. I looked back to see that my movement had only caused her to go back about 1/2 way to the fence, and that before I reached the house she had already resumed eating.

Unfortunately, when I returned with the water and some treats, she ran back over the fence and would not come back [to me] this evening.She was still there, however, so it is likely that she returned to finish the food and get some water after I went back inside and turned out the outside lights. I had also left a few treats (but only a few just in case she did not return) and a slice of one of my favorite breads - made with 14 whole grains and a generous quantity of chopped walnuts.

I pondered the fact that she had approached me and had stopped to sniff longingly at the peanut hulls. Perhaps I read to much into these things, but it seems to me that she would have passed those peanut hulls early in the eveing on her way to the feeder and would have already found that they were empty. I'm pretty sure that when she came to me, it was because she remembered last summer when I used to toss dog biscuits and other treats to her and the kids. They used to come over to me for treats back then. I think she was doing the same thing tonight. So when she stopped to sniff the peanut hulls near my feet, was she checking to see if I dropped something there for her - or, as my dog is inclined to do, was she trying to tell me something? Probably the latter.

I'm SO excited!!! (Ok, now I must go and clean up some and move some things out of the way before the contractor arrives in the morning.)

Neat. Maybe you should always keep a few dog biscuits on your person in case she comes up close again. Karen

(Still trying to finish the bare necessities and hopefully get an ounce of sleep before the contractor gets here in the early AM. taking a quick break between chores while the steam cleaner heats up. Just had to stop by and see what you guys had to say.)

Karen,

I know this isn't exactly what you intended, but I'm getting a picture of me at work in my pinstripe suit with dog buiscuits in my pocket. I can see me now in a meeting reaching in my pocket for a pen or something and then trying to look professional as I pull out a dog biscuit by mistake. ;-)
Not to mention that with my current lack of memory, I'll surely end of laundering those biscuits. A few weeks ago I laundered the 2 Gig simm card for my camera - and when it dried the photos were still on it.
Sometimes, like tonight, I end up unexpectedly encountering Heidi while I'm rushing about after work. But maybe you are on to something. I pretty much have to exit via the back door to see her. Maybe if I pack a treat bag and leave it on the baker's rack by the back door. Then I can always grab it when I'm running out there in a hurry and/or for an impromptu encounter. Even in a hurry, I have to grab the dog food - at a minimum; if I have the treats packed and ready, I can grab them, too.

A treat bag by the door sounds like a great idea - if you can keep Widget from helping himself and gaining half again his weight overnight (lol). I suspect Heidi was remembering/hoping for a tossed treat when she approached you; even if she hadn't passed the shells earlier, she surely knew by smell that they were empty. It's taking no time at all to regain her trust this year; those who say animals aren't capable of remembering over time are frankly ill-informed...

Thanks, Ruth, I like the sound of that. :-D

Went out early tonight, perhaps too early. Took out all manner of treats. Alas, even though I stayed WAY too long - determined to give her those treats - alas she did not show up. The contractor was here today from 7:30AM until around 4PM and he spend much of the afternoon in the backyard. I wonder if his presence may have signaled to her a need for extra caution.

You can be sure that the contractor's "scent" gave her pause: strange human, probably a threat, etc. Hopefully by tomorrow night the aroma of stranger will have dissipated...