Thursday morning

[ksmith]

Around 5am, I let the pups out for their morning constitutional. King returned forthwith. As happens about half the time, Gaby did not. It was late enough in the morning that I could leave her to dawdle, so I went back to bed. About an hour later, I am jarred by her barking. What concerned me, though, was that it was not her usual "cats across the street and King is barking too" ah-WOO-woo. This was the short, sharp bark of a dog that was quite agitated by whatever it was she was barking at.

So I got my coat on and walked behind the garage. King had taken off ahead of me, and wouldn't you know but he started barking too. They were both looking up in the air. I followed their line of sight and what should I see but a shape on the very top of the power pole that marks the corner of the yard. I went back to get the flashlight, and also switched out my slipper clogs for yard shoes in case I stepped into any land mines because it was STILL KINDA DARK DID I MENTION THAT?

Anyway, I shone the light on the shape. It proved to be a raccoon, balanced atop the pole, hanging on for dear life and looking down at me as if to say "I didn't mean anything ma'am I was just walking along minding my own business I didn't go anywhere near your compost container honest and I can't open the damned sliding door anyway NOT THAT I TRIED, MIND but if you could get that little bitch of yours under control I will just be on my way thanks."

I had a leash in hand. Tried to loop it over Gaby's head, but she squirted away and commenced barking at me. King joined in, because hey, barking is fun. I turned my back on them because chasing them is a non-starter, and wouldn't you know but they followed me inside.

I could see the top of the pole from the backdoor. Watched the raccoon for a few minutes, but it wasn't moving. Went back to bed. Got up a little on the late side--830. Raccoon is long gone. Wonder if it will be back.

It looked bigger than Gaby.

Fearless Huntress has breakfasted, and is now sacked out on the couch.

Comments

[e-moon60.livejournal.com]

Many long years ago, my mother had a Cairn terrier who--not fully grown--took on a huge opossum in the back yard. (When I say huge, I mean an opossum that--when subdued by police and maybe dead--reached from ground to the policeman holding its tail in his outstretched arm.) Shamrock wasn't anywhere near the size of that 'possum, and their bodies are about 1/3 mouth full of teeth...but he had it backed into an angle of the fence and was barking his little head off.

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

Our raccoons are larger than average because they live in a state park. They raid trash cans, and have been known to raid bbq grills while people are actually grilling--they have no fear of people, and ignore all efforts to scare them away. One raccoon that trundled through my yard one night looked like a bushel basket with legs. It was so fat it was ugly.

This one looked smaller. Could have been a young 'un. But it still looked around Herself's size.