Rocky the Rabid Raccoon

Last night I pulled into the driveway, exhausted from work, and the first thing I saw was a cop car, a police man, my husband and my neighbor. Stellar!

I thought my husband had cut down another tree on our property and our neighbor again thought it was on his (there's some history there) and this time called the cops. But no. Here's what went down according to Jason.

Jason got home from class and let Hunter out. Hunter ran over to play with our neighbor dog Champ (a ridiculously young looking 14 yr old German short hair who is very well trained). Soon Jason heard barking and growling and thought the dogs were fighting. He ran over to break it up and found the dogs towering over a raccoon. He quickly shooed Hunter away and the raccoon ran up into a tree and out on a limb. It's hair was raised, back was arched, it was making horrible noises and Jason said it looked like it was going to jump! (A raccoon that is looking to jump down instead of run up...not a good sign.)

Jason got Hunter inside and then what did he do? Did he stay in the house and call someone? Oh no. He grabbed a shovel and went back outside after the little bugger just in time to see it jump down from the tree limb onto Champ and muckle onto Champ's shoulder. Champ began to run frantically in circles trying to shake the deranged Rocky, all the while the little raccoon kept biting down for dear life.

Jason (because who doesn't have the local game warden on your cell phone speed dial?) called the game warden and police on his cell while chasing the raccoon with his shovel so as not to loose the little freak. By the time the authorities arrived Jason had the raccoon cornered in a junk yard up the road and the game warden killed it and sent it off to be tested for rabies. All in a day's work here in Old Town!