As Becky always says – YOU CANT MAKE THIS STUFF UP!!
About 10 o’clock Monday night I heard Hazel barking outside but I ignored her. Keeper was in the house with me and about 10:30 he jumped up and was frantic to get outside so I let him out. Neither dog came back in and as I decided to call it quits in the sewing room about 11 I checked outside and I could hear both of them barking down by the barn. I put my jacket and boots on and took the big flashlight and as I got closer and closer I could hear growling, snarling, screaming, squealing from the dogs…..and something else. As I got closer to the edge of the icy cold pond I could see that the dogs were actually drowning a raccoon!!!!! I ran back to the house to tell Rick and he was alarmed and said that raccoon would kill either or both of those dogs by holding their heads under water – just exactly what they were about to do to the raccoon. As I was heading back to the pond again I called the dogs and they came running at full speed. I assumed the raccoon had met his match.
In the house finally I shut the dog door so they couldn’t escape. Hazel was shaking so much she could hardly stand up – I was very worried about her. Dirty! Stinky! Soaked to the skin in an icy farm pond after an hour or so in the water! I took her to the deep sink in the mud room and sprayed her with warm water until she was relatively clean again – completely forgetting to soap her up as well. Her teeth were visibly chattering. I couldn’t wait to wrap her in a towel and get her dry. I towel dried Keeper from head to toe as he was also shaking. I took their wet collars off and put them on the heat register to dry.
By this time it was about 12:30 am and we headed to bed – I showered and jumped into bed with Hazel and that’s when I realized I hadn’t used soap on her – she still smelled like pond water. Too late – by the time I closed my book the little darling jumped down and went to sleep in her crate.
She’s been exhausted all day – I wonder why? Becky asks me how I can stand it. Her life is so dull she says. I guess this is just part of having a terrier and living in the country – the raccoon looks to be a bit bigger than Hazel who would NEVER back down!
It’s sad that there’s a dead raccoon in my yard but it’s either chickens or predators, you can’t have both.
And so it begins – my summer.
You can’t make this stuff up.
Growing up in the suburbs of Southern California, I had a Disney view of raccoons: our little friends with masks. When I moved to a rural Oregon property at age 40 I was quickly educated, first by children in the waiting room at the vet clinic who told me horror stories about how their pet cats and dogs had been attacked (and sometimes killed) by raccoons on their property. “Don’t let them corner you in the barn!” was a warning one sweet kid gave me, earnestly. Then, when we got chickens, I heard/read even more reasons to be afraid of raccoons from the view of a protector. I understand they are clever, and are using their hands in the way they’ve learned to, but they are also predatory; they aren’t trying to avoid a fight and if you have any animals you’re trying to protect in the country (and likely in the suburbs but just don’t know it), you have reason to worry about raccoons. I am so thankful Hazel and Keeper are alright.
Beth – I’ve always known how fierce raccoons can be and yes, they’re cute when little but not as adults. I haven’t seen one on our property for years and now this. My chickens are locked up tightly and safely every single night.
I know you love your chickens the way we love ours when we have them, and the world looks different when you’re keeping an eye out for predators. Those ladies are just so vulnerable! We do the very best we can, don’t we? I think sometimes it is because they are so trusting–they toddle along, certain we’ll keep them safe, and we race around, trying to avoid disasters!
Beth – I do love my chickens – my life almost revolves on keeping them safe and alive. We heard a coyote just beyond our fence the other night after we went to bed. Thankfully the chickens were all locked up in the barn!
We hate coons! They destroyed several circles of field corn this past year! And they will not let me feed grape jelly to the oriels!
It has been dark and raining light for today but we did get a 1/2 inch!
We are getting ready for a BIG 80th birthday for Jay this weekend. The Michigan kids are heading home after school Thursday and everyone is coming Saturday ! Fun! I am really trying to wrap my arms around the fact that hubby is going to be 80. How did that happen so fast!?
Hazel and Keeper are the best! They are funny to read about but it wouldn’t be so funny in the dark at 11 pm!
Joy – any amount of moisture is welcome, isn’t it? We had our rain gauge turned upside down so I don’t know how much we got. What a fun weekend ahead but work, too. Happy Birthday, Jay!
Coons can be very nasty little critters! They usually don’t make the news around here, but the mountain lions do.
A few years ago my friend lived south of the hospital. She went out to pull weeds from the spot below a big tree in her yard. As she worked, a squirrel was just raising heck and didn’t let up. He just kept scolding at her. Finally she looked up and there was a big mountain lion in the tree above her. She quietly went to the house and called Game, Fish & Parks!
An older lady lived on a small place outside of town. She looked out and a mountain lion was after her little dog, to which she grabbed her gun and shot the mt. lion. Then she had to call the GF&P guys because the mt. lions were protected. They were amazed that she kept a LOADED gun in her house. Her answer to that was ‘what good is an unloaded gun!’
The outdoor cameras are catching views of all sorts of critters both night and day. Very interesting.
Footprints can be very neat, too.
Not with the critter subject, I decided I should box up all my fabric scraps as they were running me out of the house. And I like to have the small boxes the grocery store has the canned goods in on the shelf. I discovered why all I had were gone….. they were holding lots and lots of scraps. Imagine that. And there is more space in my living room.
It has been raining, sun shining, a bit of everything all day. It is moisture, but not very much.
Take care everybody. Betty in Rapid City
Holy Moly…What a night is right! Raccoons are vicious, so glad your dogs are ok. I didn’t know that they would drown an animal, but I’m not surprised at this info.
Here’s to a peaceful and drama free day at your house!
Hazel the little, but mighty wonder dog!
Mary ! There is a outbreak of canine distemper attributed to Raccoons throughout Mason City and Clear Lake. I have the post on my profile if you want to see it.
Well done Hazel and Keeper! I’d say give them extra treats, but hate to encourage them to keep taking on raccoons. I lost all patience with them (raccoons that is) since one tried to evict our very old outdoor kitty from her house. Trips to the vet…not healing, SO unhappy inside the house…so we had to make the difficult decision.
I’d be hauling that carcass somewhere that the eagles with a nest very near us could get safe access to it. I bet they’d love an easy meal.
JustGail – we have a drainage ditch a couple miles away where we dump carcasses – we’re feeding somebody
You may want to get that raccoon tested. I guess distemper is running rampant in raccoons and we are to be on the look-out and call authorities (Iowa). Want to make sure your dogs remain healthy!
Emily – checked with my vet – he was more worried about rabies
Goodness, what an exciting night for you all. So glad that Keeper and Hazel are okay. We hear coyotes at night and wonder how close they really are. Our new house has quite a bit of woods around it and the nature trail is often traveled by animals at night. I think we need to install a camera and see what’s going on at night.
Kim – a trail cam could be quite entertaining!
Wow!! What a story. My Dad raised Red Bone coon hounds & he always told me how dangerous racoons could be because they lure dogs to water & then drown them. You have a very mighty hunting duo keeping you save on the farm. And life with a terrier is never boring & we wouldn’t want it any other way.
Becky needs to take a couple times writing posts about the mundane lives we go about cause yours sure is nothing but boring with that escapade! I’d never let those dogs out alone if it were me cause I’d be a wreck over what’s next. You are much braver than me Mary. I’m with Becky..how do you do it. I give you ooodles of credit but believe me it’s much calmer to sit in the assisted care home and listen to you both sing and play music. No drama. Thank goodness for a better outcome than some have with run ins with raccoons.
Oh my! Rick was right to be scared for the dogs. I’m so glad Hazel and Keeper were successful. My brother had a family of raccoons in the attic that got in by the chimney . He was lucky animal control in his county provided the traps and came and euthanized them after they were trapped. It’s scary to have them in the house.Your dogs are so brave!!
Good dogs! We hear of a lot of rabies in our area. I don’t know about yours, but I would consider talking to a game warden about the possibility. At least it didn’t get into the hen house.
I’m glad Hazel and Keeper are okay. The outcome could have been different. We had a Keeshun named Nikko who went out every night and brought home a raccoon. We got tired of burying the raccoons so we left it and Nikko would use it as a pillow until it got too rank. This went on for months until one morning Nikko didn’t come home. We searched for weeks and never found him. We assumed raccoons ganged up on him and drowned him.
this was a really good outcome. We had a patient who was permanently crippled by a raccoon attack. And it was a rescue the family made (illegal to have done so) and kept it like anyone else would have a dog for a house pet. For an unknown reason it attacked an adult member of the family tearing him up ferociously permanently damaging tendons etc. Only reason I am sharing this tragic story is to caution you, please. It had never in quite a few years shown any ugliness to anyone family or friends.
Wow-those dogs are amazing! I love the Hazel stories-she’s small but mighty and she and Keeper are a good team. And you’re as brave as your dogs-don’t know if I would have wondered down to the pond without dragging hubby along in the middle of the night.
Cindy K – remember Rick can hardly walk and besides he was in the shower. He has never gone outside with the dogs at night for any reason.
I’m glad the dogs are ok. I had a racoon in my yard today too. I thought it was dead at first but after I put my dog away and went back out it had moved. Of course it was right outside the fenced area for the chickens. Fortunately animal control came over and took care of it. They thought it might have been hit by a car or was rabid. It’s always something.
A wild night is an understatement. I’m glad it ended well for your dogs (probably not so much for the raccoon). Sleep well tonight!
Holy moly!! Good dogs! I’m not a fan of raccoons as they have done a lot of damage on my small farm – mainly my outdoor plants and planters. Grrrrrrrrr Never a dull moment! Give them extra treats!
You did have a wild night! I’m glad your dogs got the predator – such is life in the country.
I have a groundhog I’d like to get rid of – it’s too smart to go in a live trap – it chews on the wood posts around the back porch and also underneath the porch. I put lime around it and that kept it away for quite a while, but I’m afraid it’s coming back again because I saw a few wood splinters around the bottom of one of the posts today. Sigh… we’ll see.
Oh my, you have two brave dogs! Thanks to Hazel and Keeper, the chickens were safe. After all that excitement so late, could you even sleep? Like Becky, my life in this little town is pretty boring.
Thanks, Mary
Hi Mary, time to write a book about Hazel and her adventures! Take care everyone, best wishes from Sandy
That is a wild night! So glad Hazel & Keeper are safe and unharmed. I had no idea a raccoon could drown a dog! Good for Rick!
I had to share this story with Bill. In his younger days he would spend his vacation time trapping raccoons, mink and muskrats. He said you had a couple of mighty good dogs.
Suzanne – tell him thank you! I agree they did good!!