Thursday, March 17, 2011

Rascal the Raccoon

Rascal came to our family when he was 2 weeks old. His eyes were still closed and he was a tiny little thing. He was a good baby & slept through the night. I kept him in a box in my bedroom closet. I took him along almost everywhere I went for a long time. When he was old enough to get around and get into mischief I put him outside. He made friends with some of the cats and was a happy raccoon. When we got a new yellow lab puppy they became fast friends. During the Summer he went on several family outings- we even took him camping with us!
For a long time I think he thought he was a cat. Then maybe a dog... but he's finally figured out what he is- a raccoon! And he acts like one! He has killed about 10 of our chickens, torn a hole in the hot tub cover, ripped up the seats on a 4-wheeler & a dirtbike & shredded the seats in our boat. So yesterday I took him to an old barn about 5 miles away from here & said goodbye.
As I drove away, a tear escaped my eye. I found myself crying & thought of the Widow Tweed in the old Disney movie "The Fox and the Hound" as she took Tod to the wildlife reserve. I found the song and put together this little slideshow of our time with Rascal over the last year. I hope you enjoy ... and maybe grab a kleenex!

9 comments:

  1. So sweeet. We had a baby raccoon that I rescued from my work. The owners had cpatured the mom and released her in the wild not realizing that she had left some babies behind. Amazingly, one little guy who was only a couple weeks old we survived. He cried and kicked up such a fuss I heard him and followed the cries to find him. His brothers and sisters had already died. I grabbed him, took him home, named him Lucky and we took care of him until we were able to find a lady that had a large farm and took in wild animals that needed a safe haven to live. We had a dog that didn't like Lucky. My son cried so hard and five years later still talks about feeding him with an eye dropper. I'm sure your Rascal will be much happier when he can find a new home, a new love and raise little Rascals.

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  2. That was a beautiful tribute to your dear Rascal. I had not heard that song before. It was lovely. I am sure Rascal is enjoying his new surroundings.

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  3. Just for your information that is illegal to keep a wild raccoon.

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  4. Dear Anonymous,
    Thanks for the FYI - Rascal is no longer with us.

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  5. Yes I'm crying. So beautiful, you should be a rehabber. You did a wonderful job. Lucky Rascal! Go to my Facebook page.

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  6. I do not like mean people! She saved his life and did a wonderful job! Bless her. I am a rehabber and she did as well as any rehabber I know. She is a class act!

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  7. Did you find my face page? Love your video! BRAVO!

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  8. Hi Lindy! I did find your fb page and sent a friend request! :) Thanks for your kind words! I do still sell Tupperware, but need to spend a day updating my webpage & getting things together- I've neglected it tooooo long!

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