Heidi Chronicles: Raccoon Antics

This is the ongoing story of Heidi and her friends and family, raccoons and the occasional opossum who visit my backyard wildlife buffet. This year it seems as though all of Heidi's daughters and granddaughters and even the visiting friends and acquaintances are all nursing babies. You might say the buffet runneth over.

The prior thread in the series: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/885127/
The original thread that started it all: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/603944

The pic below is of one of the visiting raccoons from 'out of town'. She is busy licking the frosting can. We had frosting sandwiches that night. Raccoons love frosting, especially vanilla and strawberry.

Edited to add links

This message was edited Aug 14, 2008 3:46 AM

Have to get to sleep. It has been a long, long day. The good news is the AC folks will be here tomorrow to install my upstairs unit. Stay! At 8AM so I'd better get to sleep.

Just wanted to say that tonight (or rather last night now) went very well. Bast came over to eat with me 1st. She's becoming Dennis the 2nd, but so far she is extremely polite and will go back to her food when I tell her to. Heidi and the kits were there. The kits circled around in front of me while Blondie's 2 sneaked up on one side. I had a 1/2 bag of raspberry Newtons which they really seem to like. I've learned to tear them into 4ths so they go farther. I also had a couple of packets of syrup from my recent McD's breakfast. Those are also quite popular treats.

I had some bones (some with meat on them) from Kentucky Fried chicken. I took them out and contrary to my prior experience with feeding chicken to raccoons, not only were the chicken parts popular but the 'ladies' squabbled and fought over them. Cissy came over to my bench 2 times to take a wing bone from my hand (as she usually only does for treats), and Bast got down right fighting angry when Cleo grabbed a breast/back section that I had thrown to her. I guess, like with people, it all depends on what they are hungry for at the time. Blondie's kits came close to me to pic the batter chunks and crumbs out of the grass. Who knew?

The meanies haven't been around still. As a result, the kits are finally getting into the pool to play for a change, something they almost never did when the meanies were raising such a ruckus all the time. I tossed chunks of dog food in there with one kit and soon the pool was full with Heidi and all 4 kits fishing for dog food. Everything tastes better in water.

But the highlight of the evening was when Fraidy showed up after the others were gone. I hadn't seen her for a few days, so it was a very nice treat for me. I had the 3 gallon bucket beside my bench with a few handfuls of food still in it. The other raccoons usually tip it over to eat from it, but Fraidy just sat back in a squirrel position with the rim of the bucket tucked up under her arm pits, elbows bent, backs of the upper arms holding the bucket in place. It was a cute stance and she seemed quite comfortable. Eventually, I went back to the house to get her some grapes. The very polite and proper manner with which Fraidy so gently takes the grape in her hands is just adorable. She ate a handful or two of green grapes. Then I heard a kit calling from the forest in an area a little ways down from where the other females put their kits. Fraidy turned and disappeared in the direction from which the sound had originated.

Time for me to call it a night, er morning, as I have to get up early to get some things out of the way and clean the guest bath. Yay, AC again!

So glad to hear that relief from the heat is on the way for you: enjoy!

Sounds like a great night with the crew. I'm so glad that the nasty newcomers have faded from the picture, thanks no doubt to your wisdom in keeping the food as a needed resource, and Heidi's determination that she and her kits would get enough. That's great!

Thanks, Ruth!

I was SO happy to see the AC truck roll up - even if they were early and I hadn't finished cleaning things up in preparation.

LOL, at my wisdom - more like a happy accident. Who knew? After all that sweating and worrying and thinking their was pretty much no way to get rid of the bullies, looks like all it took to get rid of them was a little less food, after which the problem took care of itself - or at least Heidi took care of it for me. How ironic that the solution to lowering the food bill was the same as the solution to eliminating the bullies.

It is so amazing really how fast things have returned to normal out there, over night really. One night Heidi arrived to find insufficient food for her and the kits. After that, no more bullies, no more over crowding, just the usual, well mannered patrons. More of the moms are starting to bring their kits down into the yard even at the same time now. Sometimes Heidi's bunch, Blondie's two, and Cissy little one are all out there together. Not sure if others may be hiding in the brush area. Cleo had one kit with her the other night, too. Hers BTW is also a blond one, reminds me of the dk yellow cats with the faint tiger stripes. Without the bullies and all that fighting going on all of the kits are starting to venture out, walk around, come near me, play in the pool, etc. I need to remember to take some toys out now for them. It is so much more peaceful and enjoyable out there now w/o the bad guys. Sure hope things stay this way.

And Fraidy was such a darling last night as always. She just has such a special mannerism. Wish I could show you that. I just want to scoop her up and cuddle her like a kitten. Last night I petted her, rubbed her back, etc. She didn't move, didn't flinch. It was as if my petting her were perfectly normal. I am so glad she has made it this far.

Oh, as for the heat, night before last it rained - was even raining lightly while I was out there, but I didn't mind at all. It felt great in all that heat. Anyhow, the rain cooled things down a lot, at least for a day or so. Yesterday even the parts of the house w/o AC (which is everything but the master suite) were quite fine. Even had to turn the little AC unit down and turn the fans off in the master suite last night. That was a wonderful respite from all that heat.

There is just something about Bast. I often think she looks like she is wearing those kids pj's with footies, the flannel ones. Here is a pic that, for me at least, typifies that look.

Bast taking the elevator down from the cart where she was drinking trapped rain water.

close up

Here is the only pic I managed to get so far of little Jerry going out for a pass. When I throw - even if I'm throwing 15 feet away from him - he puts his hand us to catch. I'm still trying for a better pic.

Bast really is very pretty. Oh, I love Jerry's move! He obviously keeps a close eye on you to make sure he doesn't miss any chances for treats.

Hi goldfinch,

Bast is pretty, isn't she, and so unique looking. I just noticed that the copyright info is covering Jerry's face. Oh, yes, he sure does watch me carefully. That's why I'm having trouble getting a pic of his antics. He knows when I'm getting ready to throw food and when I'm not. When I'm taking pics, I'm not throwing food. Even if I try to fake him out be holding food up as if to throw so as to get him to stand up, he will get back down when he sees me diddling around with the camera as that is not a treat throwing move. He's a smart one that Jerry, and he is so cute that I often toss him treats that were meant for someone else. When I see him pop up in the background with his little hands up I can't help but laugh out loud and throw him a pass.

Now one of the others has also started to emulate Jerry. Just noticed that last night. They learn fast. Apparently the other one noticed that jerry's moves are working really well and Jerry is getting extra treats for his efforts. So now it looks like I may have a little Peyton, too. Just have to check to be sure that's not Calvin. Soon I may have 4 receivers once the news gets around about how to get more treats.

As for Jerry, last night when I had run out of treats I was tossing chunks of dog food into the pool where Heidi and a couple of the kits were fishing them out. Jerry was off to one side standing upright looking for treats. Not knowing what else to do, I tossed him kibble, and he actually ate it.

I'm so glad you got your AC back! You should sleep well tonight.
Great pics of the gang--they sure are having fun in the pool. That is funny how Jerry is just standing there, expectantly. I can imagine the others getting the idea to do that, too, lol.

Hi, KyWoods,

Remember I mentioned that's not the best illustration of Jerry's 'work'. You really need to see him in action in say a video to really appreciate his work. He actually stands up 'for a pass' every time he sees me getting ready to throw something and his arms go up as if to catch it as it sails through the air - even if it is 'miles' away from him. He doesn't stay up in the air like that, otherwise it would be easy to photograph him. He goes up each time he sees me getting a treat ready to throw and then goes back down after it lands. Apparently, at least one of the others has now noticed by so doing Jerry get more than his share of the treats. At a minimum, he never gets overlooked or ignored, and sometimes he ends up getting a treat I was planning to toss to one of the adults (in a totally different direction). It's hard to ignore him going out for a pass and standing up behind everybody else with his hands in the air (which didn't show up in the pic) as if to say "Hey, over here!"

Unfortunately, the AC guys had to leave at 3PM (argh) because it was one guy's anniversary (what a time for a guy to actually remember that) and the other was more of a helper; so now they have to come back in the morning to finish. Consequently, I still don't have AC and I have to work from home again tomorrow. And while I will be elated to have ANY AC, even when they get the unit up and running tomorrow, it will not likely cool my bedroom because they installed the upstairs unit and my MBR is downstairs and in a fairly isolated portion of the house for privacy. Still, with the weekend coming, I will be happy to have AC period. At the very least I will always know that if it gets too hot I can always go upstairs to cool down. Hopefully, they will get the downstairs unit installed next week and THEN I will sleep like a baby.

WARNING: This post contains information of a graphic nature (violence) which may not be suitable for children. For those who share these threads with your children and grandchildren, please read this post yourself 1st before deciding whether you want to read it to children.

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Recently, I mentioned that I had had a nasty run-in with the 'meanies', that roving band of ill-mannered raccoons from 'out of town' who had been crashing the buffet each night causing problems for everybody. At the time, I didn't want to talk about it and said I'd fill you in later. Since then there has been too much to tell and to little time to tell it, but as I have always thought it important to share all of my raccoon related experiences with you, good and bad alike, here now, is the story of what happened that fateful night.

I had taken a nap after work and was late getting out to feed the raccoons that night. Whereas the party crashers usually arrived about mid-way the feeding, on this particular night they were all outside on the patio waiting for me. Dennis, of course, was not out there as he had long since been banished by the meanies. As I opened the door to step out holding the 3 gallon bucket, a watermelon 1/2, and all manner of treats, Widget, who had been told to sit and stay some 10ft back, managed to dart out with me as I maneuvered to get all my junk through the door. Widget ran out across the lawn chasing the raccoons from the feeding area. As I stood on the patio holding the food and calling Widget, the gang of ill mannered raccoons was fighting all around me on the patio, and I began to feel ill at ease.

Eager to get Widget back inside before things went awry, I called sharply to him to come back, and he obeyed, but as he approached the small gap in the rose and camellia hedge bordering the patio the leader of the meanies blocked his way refusing to move. At that point, I could see disaster approaching but was powerless to avert it. Everything happened in the blink of an eye, so it is hard to say for sure who really started it, but I could see that Widget was determined to get back to me, perhaps thinking me in danger, and the meanies were equally determined to keep him out.

As Widget tried to step past the head bully in the narrow gap between shrubs, the only way onto the patio, the raccoon attacked him. I'm not talking a slap or a bite. In an instant she had hold of him and was literally dragging him back across the yard all the while thrashing him about and making a horrible sound like a grizzly bear on the rampage. I shouted "No!" and ran toward them. She was on top of Widget as he lay on the ground, stomach down screaming for help. Before I could get to them, another of the raccoons jumped in to help. For a moment the two were both on top of him, tearing at him, tossing their heads side to side as they bit him and sounding for all the world like a pack of vicious dogs. An instant later the two raccoons were tugging at him as if to pull him apart, one holding one end and one the other. No matter how I chased them shouting "no!" they paid me no mind at all. They went on fighting over poor Widget as though her were some tug toy and kept pulling him farther away and into the yard each time I got close to them.

It was an absolutely horrid thing to behold, and I was sure that I would be lucky to get Widget's lifeless body back from them before it was over. Having only the food and the bucket in my hands and no time to spare, when I finally caught up with them, I threw everything, watermelon and all, into the bucket and rushed at them swinging the heavy 3 gal bucket loaded with food at them with all my might. At that point I was willing to hit Widget, too, if necessary, anything to free him from their grasp. The bucket crashed into the group and sent them sprawling in all directions, but on the wet grass (soaked from the rains that day) and in the darkness I lost my footing as I swung at them with all the force I could muster. I tried to recover but slid on the wet grass and went tumbling to the ground so hard I rolled over onto my back before I came to rest - still holding the bucket and thinking for sure they would now attack me if not for the food then for sport.

I looked up to see Widget, still alive against all odds, standing over me with a look that said, "Get up. We need to get out of here!" There wasn't a raccoon in sight. I don't know whether they ran because I hit them so hard with the bucket or whether the sound and sight of me, a veritable giant in their eyes, falling like a giant redwood in the forest sent them running for cover, but they were gone.

Widget and I went inside. Outside in the dark he looked amazingly and confusingly unharmed given what I had just seen. Once inside I could see the bright red blood coming from the gash on his nose and his eyes were wide and wild with fright - and likely a heavy dose of adrenalin - but still he did not look anything like what I was expecting. I took him to the bedroom where I lay him on the bed to search for signs of injury. As I went to pick him up he winced in pain from my touch indicating wounds that were not as yet apparent. I lifted his long coat in sections to search for wounds. Some areas of his thick, long coat had been ripped out in sections leaving partial bald spots. I found numerous bloody cuts and puncture wounds all about his body, neck, and face. He had a gash in his nose and several holes in his snout along the edge of his mouth. The latter reminded me of that awful wound HRH had received last year, but thankfully Widget's wounds did not include that awful, jagged tear through the lip that HRH bore.

All in all, his wounds actually looked incredibly mild though in light of what I had seen. In truth the whole event had been over in maybe one to two minutes at most but had seemed like an eternity. While it looked and sounded as though they were surely killing him, I gather they were really only putting the fear of raccoon in him - or maybe my antics slowed them down a bit. I don't know, but I was so happy to see that he was going to live and wasn't ripped limb from limb. None the less, I took him to the emergency hospital immediately just to be on the safe side. I couldn't be sure how deep the punctures were, and not being a vet, I wasn't really certain how bad it might be under all that hair.

At the hospital, they cleaned his wounds with peroxide, started him on a broad spectrum antibiotic regimen, faxed info to his Dr and the appropriate state and federal agencies, and directed me to be sure he visited his vet the next day for a rabies booster even though he had just received a 3yr vaccine months before. The Dr said most of the wounds looked fairly superficial but even he wasn't too sure about the depth of some of the punctures. He said Widget could stay with me but that I would have to watch him (for signs of rabies) for the next 45 days. The next day Widget visited his Dr for the rabies booster as required.

Over the next 3 days, I did not feed the raccoons at all, did not even go out there. A million conflicting emotions flooded my mind during that time. As I had watched in horror as the two raccoons ripped at my dog like a piece of meat, I had known that whatever happened was my fault. All of the warnings I'd ever received before and after meeting Heidi and the others had played across my mind as they tore at him. Raccoons sometimes killed dogs. Raccoons were dangerous. Raccoons were wild animals. I should never have done any of the things I had done from day one. I was to blame and now Widget was about to bear the brunt of my mistakes. Now the raccoons were ripping him apart in front of my eyes.

At 1st I decided never to interact with them again. They were wild. I had gone blindly and foolishly where I did not belong and here was the result. Moreover, even though they hadn't killed Widget, watching them tear at him so savagely had been an eye opener for me. What next? Would they turn on me, too, one day? I had been playing with fire all along. This was but a warning of what was to come. It was time to stop.

Then over the next few days as I found that I truly missed Heidi and the others and as I thought back over everything that had happened playing it out in my mind over and over like a movie, I began to realize that Heidi and the others from 'our' gang had not done this. They had never behaved in such a manner and were not to blame. They had always been gentle around me and respectful of Widget. That's when I began to reflect on the differences in behavior between our group and the rouges. That's when I decided the rouges had to go. I didn't know how yet, but I knew they had to go or else I might really have to stop the feedings. That's when I decided at a minimum that I would feed our group earlier, hopefully before the bad ones arrived, and would decrease the food back to the regular level in an effort to avoid leaving food out for the bad ones. Since that time I have been careful to make Widget stay in the MBR when I go out so that there is no risk of him getting out there. He isn't very eager to go out there again anyhow. Now I have to take him out to the street to do his business after dark and even in the afternoon, even at 3PM, have to go out with him in the backyard as he is hesitant to go back there alone.

But for the fact that Widget survived without serious injury and I was not harmed (even learned that I can take a fall w/o breaking anything), this is a horrible story and one that I am not proud to tell you for so many reasons, but I feel I must. So many times I have told you how gentle and non aggressive raccoons are and how they never harm my little dog. Now I have learned that everything I have told you and will likely tell you in the future must be understood as being true of one small, select, and apparently very gentle and well mannered group of raccoons. I cannot say what they are like on average. Now I know that raccoons, like people, vary widely in their attitudes and behaviors. I think it only right that I tell you this story just so you know the truth that not all raccoons are as gentle as Heidi and her family.

Edited to add warning at top.
Edited again to correct a plethora of typos (although not necessarily all of them)

This message was edited Aug 14, 2008 11:05 PM

This message was edited Aug 15, 2008 1:11 AM

I was almost in tears as I read that last post. Thank whatever God you all believe in that both of you made in through that in comparitive safety. Poor Widget may be traumatized for some time. I am sure if you had not been right there swinging for all you were worth dear baby boy might have been dragged away. Are you and Widget OK now??

You also show much wisdom and compassion when you chose to continue to take care of Heidi and her extended family. My reaction might have been to let them take care of themselves for a while until I was sure that bad group had given up or permanently as just to much of a risk. Instead you chose to think it through and not punish the good guys because of the bad guys. Something that you may not have thought of though was how much we care about you and Widget. I would worry about Heidi and family and whether Fraidy would continue to survive if you stopped the diner. However I would understand and support whatever decision you reached.

I need to just walk away for a little, Lucy the idiot lab has just figured out that her mom is upset and is pacing and whining. She was playing with one of her toys and just dropped it and came to see me. Strange how they know those things.

Hi, tetleytuna,

Sorry. I really did not mean to upset you. I just felt, now that I am able to discuss it, that I should tell you the bad along with the good; otherwise, the story becomes a 1/2 truth.

I was not harmed at all. Surprisingly, despite the fact that my feet slipped out from under me much like happens with novice bowlers (as I saw from my single visit at age 15) and I fell onto my back, it didn't hurt at all. That part (alone) was actually a benefit as I got up realizing I'm not as breakable as I thought - or at least the back 1/2 of me is well padded. ;-)
All in all, Widget came out of it all in surprisingly good shape. I have no doubt his fate might have been much, much worse. His scratches and punctures are all healing fine. I don't know if maybe his thick, floor length coat helped him (since they pulled out whole chunks of it perhaps instead of flesh), if my antics helped, if they were not really trying to kill him, or some version of all of these, but he managed to escape with relatively minor wounds. It would be great if his newfound fear of raccoons would keep him away from them, but I think his protective nature coupled with the fear may make him even more likely to go after them in self defense (and to defend me) not realizing that will only make matters worse. He shows no sign of pain or even discomfort now, so I'm sure he will be fine.

Thank you so much for your support and for you concern about Widget and me. On the 1st day, I was very, very angry with all raccoons as I watched that horrid scene replayed in my mind over and over and over. I was also angry with myself and carried around a lot of guilt for a while. At 1st I thought I would not want to continue feeding the raccoons. Three days later when I fed them again for the 1st time after the incident, I went out around 4PM, put the food out and left without seeing any of them (intentionally). It took me a while and a lot of thinking about what had happened to realize that Heidi and the others were totally not at fault. If anything, they too had been victims of the bad coons, having been forced to change their habits and schedules to keep their babies safe from those vicious raccoons. In truth, I found that I really missed Heidi and the gang much like I would miss pets who had been taken away. I found that I really wanted to see them again.

As I mulled over the facts, at 1st I thought the meanies had attacked Widget because of the presence of the babies, but now I don't really think that had anything to do with it. I've never seen the meanies bring their babies into the yard, and they didn't attack him when he rushed back there to the feeding area. Instead, they attacked him when he tried to come back onto the patio. They attacked him over the food. They were forever getting into viscous and length fights over food even in the feeding area amongst themselves, attacking any raccoon who ventured within several feet of them and prompting Heidi and the others to gather their progeny and leave. When I 1st stepped out that night they were out there on the patio sniping and snarling and attacking one another. When Widget ran past them to go to the feeding area, they didn't mind at all. It was when he returned that they said "no way you are getting near our food".

For a while I was afraid of the others, afraid they might attack me next, especially since their attacks seemed to be fueled by food. I went out early to do the feedings since I knew they would not be there yet and also because I felt safer in daylight than in the dark. After dark when the meanies did arrive I made sure they kept their distance from me, using my camera, flashlight, the bucket, etc as weapons to keep them at a distance. The 1st night when I went back out there, when the leader tried to get near me for treats I repeatedly flung the camera neck strap in an arc around me to keep her back. After a while she learned to stay away from me, but I was always on guard around them. I was planning to take a squirt bottle of vinegar water along just in case. That still might be a good idea since this proves one never knows what might happen or what one might find out there in the dark. In a matter of days after I decreased the food substantially - by 1/2 back to the normal level - Heidi had taken care of the problem and the meanies were gone. I haven't seen them since. Esp when the meanies were still around, I also liked the idea of keeping the hose with me although I'd prefer not to have to go back there to the faucet after dark to turn it on and off because I'm afraid of Mr Copperhead - and the hose leaks at the connector so I can't leave it on all night.

After I regained my composure and became more reflective about things, I began to look at things this way. As long as I don't open the door unless Widget is contained, then he will be safe. As for me, I believe that it is important to remember that life is a risky journey. Yes, we can do things to minimize our risks, but often the things we do for entertainment, be it skying, sky diving, or even horseback riding, there is always a measure of risk, usually even of grave injury. It is something we accept in order to live and enjoy our lives. Child birth is risky. Riding in a car is risky. Yet we continue to do these and many, many other things which might kill us. Life is just plain risky.

At age 9 I was thrown from a horse and suffered a fractured vertebra and a year or more of intense pain. For a year or so I was unable to do the things that kids do. When I healed physically, I still had a way to go mentally. When I could finally ride again, each time I got on a horse I panicked and got off again. But I love horse and love riding; so I persevered and went on to ride again, almost daily for decades. I had many wonderful days on horseback and shall never forget the thrill of galloping through an open meadow, the wind whipping my hair or of flying effortlessly over a succession of jumps in a ring. These are very treasured memories for me and have been well worth the risks I took to get them. Over those years, I took more than a few falls, as well, though none as bad as the one at age 9, thankfully. But one day when I was on a trail ride in my early 20's my mount got into a nest of fire ants. She started stamping her feet frantically and sort of semi rearing back a bit. I knew something was wrong. I got off to see what it was. When I saw the large, red ants all over her front legs, I forgot all of my years of training and bent down to brush them off. At that moment, fighting not me but the ants that were stinging her, she reared up flailing her front legs about. One of her hoofs struck my cheek and immediately I was KO'd as though Mike Tyson had boxed me a good one. A friend caught me and I awoke facing him and draped across his arms as he held me in a bear hug. I had only been out for a matter of seconds. Life is risky, and many of our endeavors, hobbies included are risky. That is life. So I decided it makes no less sense to accept (with care and forethought) the risks of dealing with my beloved family of raccoons than to spend a life handling and riding animals that way over 1/2 ton and can and have hurt me without even meaning to.

Thank you again. Please don't worry.

Hope I haven't upset everyone. I know that wasn't a very pleasant story, not the kind of heartwarming story you come here to find. But, again, I really thought I should tell the bad as well as the good.

To get back on track with a positive note, here is Jerry with one of those Little Debbie vanilla cake squares. These are quite popular BTW. I had thrown the entire square to him aiming for the spot just beyond the pool. As you can see I miscalculated just a tad and the cake square, its frosting heated by the evening temps at that time, stuck to the side of the pool and Jerry was more than happy to use the side of the pool as a dish.

I have since begun breaking those squares into 4 pieces so they make more treats. I took 2 pkgs, a total of 8 cakes, out with me tonight and shared them with Heidi and the kits. I think I have found Heidi's ultimate weakness that being frosting in any form. I tossed pieces to all of the kits and then one to her. Minutes later as I was tossing more pieces to the kits, Heidi who had appeared to be deeply engrossed in her bowl of dog food, came barreling across the grass to grab one. After she ate that one, she came right over to me to ask for another. For her 3rd piece, I gave her the very last one I had with me. She stood beside me almost as close as Freddy and Dennis to eat that one, and when it was gone she stepped even closer though gingerly to see if their might be another one in it for her. As soon as I told her they were all gone, she turned and went back to her dish of dog food.

OMG, poor Widget! Poor you! How awful; I am so sorry this happened. Yes, absolutely make sure he is confined before you go out back. You're right, it could've been far worse.

KyWoods,

After witnessing it all first hand and up close, you needed worry that I will ever open the back door again without making sure that Widget is physically detained 1st. I figure that was a warning shot (from above) to let me know I was living too close to the edge. Since that day I only let him go in the back yard between sunrise and around 5PM. After that I take him out to the street - or if it's an emergency and I'm in my jammies, I let him make those dark green (ammonia) spots on the front lawn where I figure the HOA will enjoy them. ;-D

The events detailed above happened a few weeks ago. I hope I was clear about that. I was pretty upset about it for a while but am over it now - except for being careful to keep Widget contained, of course.

I have to tell you I started reading that thread, got to the first part, panicked and immediately went to the bottom to see how it came out before going back and reading anymore.

My heart was in my throat! You really do write a good 'bad' story! I am so thankful that everything is OK.

Poor little Widget, that little guy has been through a lot. I love that little dog!!

Hugs,
Susan
=^..^=

Thank you, Susan,

Yes, you are right. I was thinking about that today after writing this story. Widget is barely 3 (His b-day is this month.) and only weighs 4.5lbs yet already in his short life he has tangled with a pit bull, suffered a back injury of unknown origin which left him unable to play for months, and now has been attacked by 2 raccoons. He looks mighty delicate but sure has managed to be a survivor somehow.

With all that has been going on, almost forgot to mention:
About a week after sending my reply to webshots regarding my photos, I checked my email and was all the more frustrated to find that they had blown me off completely or so it seemed since I had no additional mail from them at that time. I was really steamed thinking they were really just going to ignore my pleas for help even as the user who had stolen my photos was ignoring my requests. Then along came the dreadful heat wave and the AC failure. Since then I've been either too busy to take action or too hot to care. However, I did sit up late one night and take some time to mark the majority of my webshots albums private until I had time to take additional action. Today while doing some paperwork, I checked my mail and was surprised to see an email from webshots. I opened it expecting to find more of the same. Much to my surprise the email was from customer service. It stated that they had removed my photos (now referred to as infringing) from the other users site in accordance with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (note to anyone who has a similar problem in the future) and had notified the other user that it is a violation of webshots policy to post material which infringes copyright. They said it would take 24 hrs from the date of the email for all copies of the photo to clear their servers after which all references to the infringing material on the other users site would be gone. They ended with an invitation to contact them with any problems in the future. I checked the link in the other thread and it no longer brings up the album with my stolen pics. Note that if you try the link to my pics it will also likely fail but that's because I blocked my pics myself. I went to the other users site and found that not only are my pics gone but the entire raccoon album has been removed which is just as well since apparently all of those photos were stolen.

Love the photo of Jerry. With his hands in the air as well, he would look exactly like a pro wide receiver trying to signal the quarterback that he's open for a pass. Adorable!

The story about Widget is superbly written but so very disturbing. I'm so happy he wasn't hurt more seriously, and glad that you're now ensuring he won't encounter the raccoons again. But it's also disturbing because that simply is not normal behavior for healthy raccoons. In my years in animal control, I responded to many many calls of dogs having fought with raccoons. In every instance, if the raccoon was healthy the dog provoked the fight, either by attacking the coon or cornering it so escape was impossible. Also in every such instance, the raccoon was gone when I arrived on the scene (unless the dog owner dispatched the raccoon with a gun, as happened once). If the raccoon was rabid, it was a different story. There is a stage in rabies when the animal is in such extreme pain that it will attack anyone and anything within reach, including their own bodies; within a few days or weeks of this stage, the animal becomes comatose and death follows quickly. The rabid raccoons usually were still on hand when I arrived, were usually injured by the dog and usually appeared quite ill. The "meanies" in your yard cannot, I believe, have been rabid since you saw them over some period of time, and they did not progress to the next stage of the disease. Also, Heidi and the others would never have shared the yard, however briefly, with these guys if they had been rabid; animals seem to sense when another animal is that ill and go to lengths to avoid them.

So the incident, and the behavior of that group of raccoons, makes no sense. Raccoons do not, as a rule, gang up to attack another animal, certainly not a natural enemy they usually avoid, like a dog. You seem to have encountered a mutant band of sociopathic raccoons: what a horrid concept. I thought all along that they sounded "wrong" and needed to go; now we know exactly how wrong their behavior is. Here's to them staying gone permanently!

Well hurray for webshots: glad to hear they finally did the right thing. Took them long enough, but better late than never!

Hi! I have thoroughly enjoyed your stories! I'm amazed at how friendly they have become! What kind of dog is Widget? Sounds like he might be a Yorkie! Poor baby! He was certainly lucky to have you to save him. My ex was a coon hunter, and i know how deadly they can be! They will drown a big coon hound if they get him in water!
The only time I've heard of anything like this before was a video of a "herd" of deer a family fed. They would eat on their patio, and the deer, about 19 of them, would come up and eat with them! They set plates for them, put food on them, and they would come and eat from the plates! It was amazing to watch!
Keep up the good work with your friends, but don't forget, they are wild animals, and they can revert quickly. And like so many other animals, they CAN get rabies!
I envy you!!
Audrey

Oh Cheryl, what a horrible ordeal you went through. I know your feeling of panic and helplessness as my Boxer was attacked by a German Shepard while I was outside with her. I am so happy Widget and you are both OK. And I'm with Spartacusaby, lets hope the meanies are gone for good.

(P.S. - my dog ended up being OK too)

Hi Audrey,

Welcome! So nice to have you with us. Happy to hear that you have enjoyed the stories. Widget is a Maltese. I have pictures of him sprinkled here and there in the Heidi threads. Don't have time to look for them right now, but will try to do so when time allows.

Oh, the deer family sound adorable. As for the raccoons, I try always to remember that Heidi and the others are wild animals 1st and my 'friends' 2nd. The behavior displayed by that band of mean, combative raccoons was just so different from anything I see from the ones in our usual group. Normally, if one of the raccoons is frightened or whatever, they will just move away from me and/or run for cover. I try to be careful, but I realize that something could go wrong, and I might be scratched or bitten. If the worst should happen and one contract rabies and attack me, I have already had the full series of rabies injections.

goldfinch,

Oh, that must have been horrible to witness such an attack. So glad to hear that your dog is ok - and glad you included that info as it was the 1st question on my mind as I read.

It is incredible how quickly the meanies were removed from the area once the food ran low prompting Heidi to send them packing. I truly had no idea that might work so well. I, too, am hoping never to see those rouges in my yard again. If I do, now I know that the solution is less food not more. The difference in the feeding area is so dramatic now w/o the meanies around. Even with all those kits around, all is quite peaceful now, and it is much more enjoyable for me to be out there with them.

OH Cheryl -- heavens!! I really only glanced, but got the gist of it all. When i get home in a few days, i will have to go back and read about the past 2 weeks.

Think it's about time to get a water canon [**caugh** beebee gun] for the meanies.

busy weekend... weather still phenomenal, I'll be home some time on Monday.

Over and out..... Terese

Terese,

Hmm. BB-Gun. Hadn't thought of that. Might not be a bad idea for something to keep on me just to use in a worst case scenario. Even the sound of a 'gun' might be sufficient to break up a fight such as what happened with Widget.

When he and I were pre-schoolers (1 yr apart) playing in our yard in a safe and quiet neighborhood, my brother was attacked by an English bulldog that came into the yard, knocked him to the ground, and was in the process of biting him on the face. I started screaming for my parents at the top of my lungs. Luckily my Dad was at home. Hearing the commotion he came out the front door with a 12-gauge shot-gun loaded with buck shot. While still standing on the doorstep, he discharged the shotgun into the air (but not towards the dog and my brother). The sound alone caused the dog to get off my brother and flee from our yard in terror. It was fast thinking on my father's part as he was able to stop the attack instantly without risking harm to himself or even harming the dog. He did, however, later tell the owner that he would promptly shoot the dog if he ever saw it in our yard again.

Luckily, my brother had escaped the kind of serious injury he might have sustained in such an attack. To this day, however, he bares scars - tooth marks - on his cheek, chin, and around his mouth as a reminder of that day. The marks are not severe or disfiguring now, and the ones on his chin and near his mouth appear more like dimples. To him they are a sort of badge of honor, a physical reminder of the attack he survived. I have little doubt that he would have been more severely injured had the gun blast not broken the fight up so abruptly. In view of that scenario, a BBGun or one of those 'Air' guns might not be a bad idea to have around in case of a dire emergency.

The weather is actually pretty decent here right now, not like yours I'm sure, but still a wonderful respite from the weather we had been enduring.

Hope your busy weekend is also a fun weekend.

Hi Ruth,

Jerry is even more receiver-like and downright adorable when seen in motion. Maybe one day I'll be lucky enough to get a movie clip of his plays, you know, for future rookie players to study. LOL. It has gotten to the point where lately when I get out the treats and jerry pops up in the back field 'to signal he is available', I chuckle out loud and say "here, jerry" as I toss it his way.

I found the events of that night very disturbing, as well. At 1st, lumping all raccoons together, I wondered how I could have been so wrong about them, how the sweet and non-aggressive animals I had known and interacted with for over 2 years could have so suddenly turned into a pack of vicious and combative 'killers' without provocation. The whole thing was just unbelievable. I did not see Widget do anything to provoke the fight other than try to walk through the narrow gap in the hedge at the perimeter of the patio, the gap where the head meanie was standing. It looked to me like he tried to go through the very small gap between her rump and the camellia and she just spun around and grabbed him and then it was on. As I approached them shouting "NO!" she kept dragging him farther away and into the yard. All of this happened in a matter of 60+ seconds during which she moved him maybe twice to keep the fight beyond my reach. From the very onset of the fight Widget was crying out in pain so I know he wasn't the one keeping things going.

Edited to add that I touched Send by mistake. This MacBook pro is ultra sensitive. Sometimes all I have to do is 'think' about making a selection and it does so. Anyhow, although I wasn't really through, I need to pause to go out and feed up. Will be back later to sum up in a subsequent post

I couldn't believe what was happening. I would have expected her to run away when I ran toward her shouting, but she did not. Even at the buffet, however, her boldness had always been unsettling. I had never felt comfortable around her even from the very beginning. She always tried to come over near me just like our regulars do - something she probably learned from observing them - but something about her demeanor was different and made me wary of letting her get too close. The body language of our raccoons indicate that they are asking politely for a treat whereas her moves belied a kind of cunning attempt to position herself so as to take what she wanted. I had been surprised to find that she was not deterred from approaching me at the buffet even when I waved my arms in an arc around me or waved the camera neck strap around me. On one occasion I had used the camera neck strap to whirl the rather large and heavy camera in an arc around me to keep her back. That had worked but only enough to cause her to stand back a foot or so outside the range of the strap and look at me as though trying to figure out a way to circumvent it.

As for the 2nd raccoon jumping in to the fray, that is one of those subjects I had on my back list to discuss when time allows. If you recall, I had seen this behavior one other time the night when two of them ganged up on Trouble and ran him out of the yard. Even then I had been shocked to see the 2nd raccoon jump in while the 1st raccoon was fighting with Trouble. Never before that night had I seen, read, or heard anything to indicate that raccoons might act in such a pack-like manner. Before that all arguments had been between 2 raccoons only, never a gang or pack event. Perhaps even more disturbing in its implications, when they ganged up on Trouble, one of the meanies started the fight but it was our sweet and previously non-aggressive Cissy who ran over to join the melee. Since the gang fighting behavior seemed to originate with this new rouge group, having not been previously witnessed at the buffet, it looks as though Cissy had learned it from them. This seems to indicate that raccoon individuals may be more susceptible to peer pressure than I would have guessed and that the influence of the rouge group might have altered the behavior of our raccoons if they had stayed long enough. While Cissy is very well behaved and never starts fights, she has long been one to stand her ground and protect her own. She was one of the few who would sometimes stay and eat while the meanies were there crashing the party and reeking havoc. That may be why she picked up some of their behavior (while they were around that is).

I would never have expected to see two raccoons gang up on one animal, but I absolutely saw it happen twice, once with Trouble and then again with Widget, both times involving the rouge group of outsiders. With Trouble the pack behavior gave them an obvious edge. Trouble had been pivoting rapidly while the raccoon tried to bite at his head. This pivoting motion kept his head forever moving away from her each time she lunged at him, but when the 2nd raccoon joined in, with one raccoon on either 'end' of him, the pivoting motion only served to move Trouble's head from one set of teeth and claws to the other. At that point, he quickly ran away. In the case of Widget, by the time the 2 of them were on him I don't think he was fighting anymore. He was flat on the ground stomach down, legs spread flat out to the sides (Maltese are amazingly flexible that way). I guess that way he was protecting his stomach, privates, and the underside of his neck. They were on top of him, one on each end as with Trouble and were biting and snarling and thrashing about in a frenzy. It was then that I ran up (this time w/o shouting I think) and reached down to wailed h___ out of them as hard as I could swinging the heavy bucket in an arc. That's when I lost my footing on the wet grass in the darkness and fell then sat up to find Widget standing over me and the raccoons gone.

When I re-read what I had written about the account I found that it sounded as though I were indicating that Heidi and her group are especially gentle and all others may be like the rouge group. I'd like to clarify for the benefit of all readers that I didn't mean to imply such at all. As you know all to well but new readers may not, what I know of raccoons is that which I've learned from you and others, from reading, etc since the start of my relationship with Heidi in 2006. This is all new to me. I observe and report. I form hypothesis about what I've observed and revamp those hypothesis as new information emerges. Until I met this rouge group, my only experience was with Heidi and her group. Naturally, I thought they were typical of all raccoons. Now I have 2 very divergent examples of raccoon behavior, that or Heidi's group and that of the rouge group, and I no longer know for sure which is typical. Having only 2 groups to observe and finding them to be so different, I just don't have adequate data from which to form a conclusion about what is normal and what is atypical. The behavior you describe, however, is more in keeping with what I've read elsewhere and more consistent with the behavior of the Heidi group.

The thought of rabies crossed my mind and can't be ruled out but I, too, think it seems unlikely given all of the information. If they were rabid, both Widget and I are vaccinated and I never had any contact with them. As mentioned, I was always wary of them. The only time I gave them treats was to throw the treats some distance away from me to keep them back - and that, of course, was before the attack. After the attack I wasn't about to give them anything.

This message was edited Aug 15, 2008 8:11 PM

Just came in from feeding. Tonight I opened a new bag of their favorite Purina Cat Chow that I picked up at Wally world for a pretty decent price. With all the mayhem here in the past week or so I haven't made it to the discount clubs yet (or even their web sites). Everyone was so excited about the 'new' food, they all but forgot about me and the treats.

There were kits galore tonight. Kits, kits, and more kits. Kits everywhere. I had trouble keeping score. I saw Blondie with her 2, Heidi with her 4, Reba with 1, Cissy with 1, Cleo with 1, and I'm not sure but I think (and sure hope) I may have caught a very quick glimpse of Dennis with her 2. All of the kits were there at pretty much the same time so it was total kiddy mayhem - but no fighting since the rouges were not there.

Timba ran over to me when he 1st arrived. He came up to the watermelon rind left from last night and checked to see if I had brought him more melon. Unfortunately, I'm out of watermelon at the moment. I gave him a few marshmallows. As soon as I gave him the 1st little Jerry who was way on the other side of the pool stood up for a pass, so I giggled, said "here Jerry" and tossed him one.

I tried to get a pic of Jerry going out for a pass, but he has my moves down to a science. I said "here, Jerry" once and he actually looked up and even started to stand, but dropped back down and went back to eating cat food when he saw that my hands were not 'right'. I normally throw with my right hand, but I had shifted the camera to my right hand in order to capture the picture and had the mm in my left hand - but apparently Jerry knows that I don't throw with my left hand so there is no need for him to stand up for a pass. After that, I could not get Jerry to do his going out for a pass thing again until I switched hands. LOL. He really has my moves memorized down to which hand does the throwing and seems to know that normally when the camera is in the right hand, treats do not get thrown. Jerry may be timid, but 'she' sure is a smart one.

Bast came over to get a few grapes and to try to intimidate the one I think (and hope) might have been Dennis. The Dennis like one had 2 dark colored and timid kits with her. The kits stayed back near the fence, ate the 1 mm each I tossed them, and then ran back up the fence at the next scary sound. The one I think might have been Dennis came to me when I called her, but seemed very much on edge, probably because of the combination of Bast trying to scare her away and concern for her kits in the yard nearby with so many others around. She ate a grape or 2 and refused mm's which was most unlike Dennis. She wanted cat food and all of the feeding spots were taken. Heidi was eating over by the little birdbath with 2 of her kits at the time. The one I think might have been Dennis went over in front of Heidi to eat some of the kibble that had fallen there when I tossed an extra handful to Heidi earlier. The fact that she dared to put her face within inches of Heidi's face while eating, especially when already on edge, seemed consistent with Dennis. Heidi might growl or even snap at her but would not likely hurt her. In fact, Heidi grumbled a bit but let her eat there so close to the kits. Heidi's behavior also seemed consistent with a possible ID of Dennis.

I'm really, really hoping it was Dennis. I haven't seen her since that night when she and Fraidy ate from the tables 'together', the night I took the pics. I had become quite concerned about her, fearing the meanies had chased her and her kits away before they left. Dennis doesn't come to the door anymore, doesn't come to me for treats. There have been no Dennis sitings, and I was really starting to miss her.

Anyhow, I had a few handfuls of food in the bucket that I had saved for this purpose. I was going to toss the spare food over to 'Dennis', but Bast came over to me, growled at 'Dennis' nearby, and signalled her desire to look in the bucket at my feet and possibly have some of the food from it. Bast stood facing the bucket with her nose a few millimeters from its edge. In a very gentle tone I said "no, Bast". She did not put her head in the bucket or try to tip it over. When she growled at Dennis I again said "no-o" to her in a calm tone, and she didn't repeat her warning. While Bast stood there, I took the bucket, tossed a few handfuls to Dennis, then put the bucket back down in front of her with a handful of food remaining in it, and said "ok". Bast reached up with one paw, tipped the bucket over, and walked in to eat the kibble after which she left w/o bothering 'Dennis' again. Soon after, her kits already gone, 'Dennis' disappeared as well.

I did get a number of pics tonight but none look very promising. Oh, and my upstairs AC is finally running. Even though I still don't have a downstairs unit, the house cooled down rapidly this afternoon soon after the upper unit went on. Ahhh! Cool air again. I thought it would never come. It was pretty steamy outside tonight, and before the AC unit finally went on I noticed that my house, carpet, etc were getting moist from the humidity. Ick! But the AC will suck that water out in no time now that it is running.

(I misspelled millimeters above and the spell checker changed it to kilometers which had I not caught it would surely have caused you to scratch your head and wonder. Keep that spell checker in mind when you read something that seems totally out of context.)

Edited to fix a few other things the spell checker messed up including an incorrect verb tense. ; )
Also to add that in the case of Bast, I don't expect that she actually understands the words, although she does seem to recognize her name. Otherwise, I think she is likely 'reading' the combination of body language, tone, etc.

This message was edited Aug 16, 2008 2:27 AM

one of Heidi's kits

I caught that Cheryl....Jerry may be timid but"SHE"sure is a smart one.LOL
I was afraid that something like what you described between Widget and the meanies had happened. Well I didn't know it would involve Widget but I am glad you were able to relate it to us now and am so happy both you and Widget are alright now. Poor baby Widget I know how terriffied he must have been and I can just imagine how awful it was for you.
I love the pictures and the one of Jerry is just adorable,also the kit of Heidis reaching for the mm is too cute for words.

Glad you have gotten cooler finally. I have been able to turn my air off for the past 3 days,what joy!!!! It did get pretty warm today but I braved it out and its 68 degrees now so its quite comfortable.

Sounds like a great night at the diner; though these days, it might be more accurate to call it a daycare center (lol).

No, I really don't think any of your rogue raccoons was rabid. Their behavior was too calculated and reasoned. It's hard to explain if you've never seen or dealt with an animal who is truly ill with rabies, but there is nothing reasoned about their behavior; the virus is destroying their brain and CNS, and they act frenzied, literally mad with pain. To see the way they sometimes mutilate their own bodies, driven by pain, is just heartbreaking. The attacks on both Trouble and Widget sound too coordinated and intentional to be managed by rabid animals.

Hi Judy,

Oh, you caught that pronoun shift did you? LOL

I thought I was over it, but found that just the effort to tell the story revived a whirlwind of conflicting emotions all over again. Perhaps the most disturbing emotion being the guilt at having 'caused' the event by breaking societal taboos against interaction with wildlife especially raccoons. I told the stories of injuries due to horseback riding because that was part of the though process I went through in realizing that it seems no less reasonable to accept the risks involved in dealing with raccoons than to accept the risks involved in dealing with horses or in any other hobby or sport. I will be careful to keep the dog locked up when I go out there in the future though.

Thanks. Glad you enjoyed the pics. Your weather sounds wonderful!

Hi Ruth,

It is amazing how much different the atmosphere is at the diner now w/o the rouges around. I recently saw a program on NatGeo in which they explained the stages of rabies in a manner that demystified it greatly for me. They also included real examples of attacks and such (with various animals, none raccoons) that illustrated the various stages and later tested positive for rabies. They talked about a 'dumb' stage in which the animal may do strange things and may be somewhat uncoordinated followed by the more familiar angry, combative stage. As example of the 'dumb' stage, a cougar had approached a family out fishing in daylight. The cougar walked up to a small boy, put her paw on his shoulder, and after a prolonged pause, put her mouth around the top of his head. One of the adults shot the ground nearby, but the cougar did not leave. The man then shot the cat. Upon examination it was found to be rabid. The cat's method of attack had seemed odd (before they found out she was rabid) because cougars usually ambush their prey, jump on its back, and bite the neck to disable it quickly.

For reasons I'm having difficult articulating now, after viewing that NatGeo show I felt all the more convinced the raccoons weren't rabid. They just didn't fit anything about any of the stages they detailed. I agree with you, their behavior seemed very calculated and always involved food.

I was amazed by the way they ganged up on targets and had been curious to hear your take on that even back when it happened with Trouble. I was wondering if it was normal raccoon behavior that I had just never heard of before. Interesting to hear that you also found such behavior unexpected. Serves to remind us that in animals as with people there may be exceptions to the norm.

I'm just glad to see things getting back to normal and kits playing safely in and about the pool again.

Had to catch up, and had tears in the throat. Glad things worked out and even knowning it very painful for you to relate the story, glad you did. As children and us adults, we do get very comfortable with all our readings and forget that these animals are wild and do to survival conditions all act differently. That ther eis a big diferenc ebetween wild and domesticated. Hard as it was for you to write it is a good rminder for us all and a lesson we need to learn as well.

it may be hard to write the ugly, but it shows that you are a responsible person and not only care about the animlas welfare, but the humans too that interact or wil be interacting with these animals. Thank you for the lessons and the warnings. Thank you for caring enough to tell us. : )

While your gang is wild, they still are domesticated. has Trouble been back since then. Poor Widget. I feel for you and him. Had one of the most horrific times with one of my dogs being hurt.

It natural to feel at first resentment. But eventually common sense does take over. And the anger gets directed at the proper offenders.

Love the cute pic of the gang in the pool. LOL kits all over at play. Laughed my head off at your description of the footy jammies. I used to wear them, now it just fuzzy slippers. LOL

Hi, starlight,

Thank you. Most of the time the Heidi story is a heartwarming tale of human-animal interactions, but in reality it is more than that. It is a true account of my interactions with them and of my observations. As such, I just feel I must to be true to the whole story, good and bad. For my observations to be valid, I must not edit them or eliminate the unpleasant ones. Also, I know that over the years I have repeatedly stressed that the raccoons are not aggressive and that they do not harm my little dog even though he is so small. Now that I have seen another side of the coin so to speak, it would have been irresponsible for me not to tell you. I would hate for someone else's pet to be harmed because they listened to me, especially if I covered up evidence that might have caused them to make a different choice.

Glad that you recognized that I told the ugly side of the story to be responsible. I want you to know that you can count on me to relate events truthfully even when they don't fit into the usual heartwarming theme of the story. I'm glad that the Heidi story has worked out to be a warm, happy, family friendly tale, but my primary obligation to the reader is to provide a faithful accounting of events as they occur.

Widget is doing fine, but for a few minor scars hidden under his long coat, he has no outward signs of his little misadventure. This morning it was relatively cool out (expecting a high in the mid 80's which is positively frigid for us. burrr! Where is my coat?) so I took him with me when I ran out to get a few things from the local farmers market. As I was only a few feet away (it's a small market), he stayed in the car and barked at all of the people who stopped to admire him. LOL. He is doing fine.

Oh, yes, thanks for reminding me. Trouble has been back a number of times. The ladies didn't hurt him when they ganged up on him that time; they just managed to make it uncomfortable enough for him to force him to leave at the time. Being a raccoon, he's much tougher than little Widget and able to handle a few bites and scratches. Since the rouges left, Trouble is now permitted to eat a little here and there as long as he doesn't get in the way. It is interesting to note, however, that somehow everyone from Fraidy down to the smallest of the kits knows that (technically, although lately the rules are a bit more relaxed) Trouble is not allowed at the buffet right now. I've seen Fraidy, who as you know is quite timid and almost never growls at anyone, growl at Trouble to remind him that while they may be looking the other way and letting him grab a bit of kibble, he is not really welcome and should tread lightly. The other night I was watching in amazement as one of the smaller kits, not Heidi's, was browsing around the area in front of me in search of treats. Then the kit looked up to see Trouble eating dog food on the slope beyond the pool. The tiny kit stopped what he was doing and crossed the pool to go over there, adopt a defensive position, and growl at Trouble to say "Hey, just because I'm a little tyke doesn't mean I won't enforce the 'no guys allowed' rule, buddy." Trouble looked up, grabbed another chunk or two and left. I had to laugh at the chutzpah of that little guy and marvel at the manner in which the raccoons had managed to circulate the rules to even their tiniest members even without email, flyers, or even text messaging.

I think it's the way Bast's pale taupe color remains constant all the way down to the tip of her toes that makes me think of footy jammies every time I look at her back legs/feet. It's a cute image that always makes me smile when I see her.

I am back! You are such a good storyteller that I felt I was right there with you and actually felt all of the drama that occured in at the buffet. A good writer gets the reader involved, a great writer reaches out and actually puts you in the story. I would say you are the latter as I certainly was on the edge of my seat. I am glad to find that both you and Widget are doing well after that incident. I actually really appreciate that you chose to share that with us. After all, life cannot be all sweetnes and light. We all know as gardeners that we have to weather the occasional storm which ultimately passes and sometimes leaves things even better than before. I think this incident has done that. We now know that there are indeed the occasional psychos and why our group is always so alert. It is one thing to know that on an intellectual level, but now we really KNOW that.

And I also have good news, precious Lucy the lunatic lab has been well rewarded for taking care of her mom. She absolutely loves her stuffed animals until they develop small holes at which point she takes great delight in unstuffing them. She is actually very dainty (and amusing) as she plops down and pulls the fiberfill out and spits it in large piles. Today while at a large rummage sale I made off with two large sacks full. Laid out four of them and it was not too long before miss thang was trotting all over the house with her prizes.