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!