It was a typical Monday, the back-to-work day. I made my lunch and harnessed/leashed Shadow, our 120 pound Akita, for his jaunt outside to take care of business before we left for work. As we walked out the door and toward the steps, my eyes caught something toward the bottom of the steps. A raccoon was making its way up those same steps toward us. He froze as soon as he saw us. I yelled something I’m sure he understood in racoonese, like “Hey!” He turned and ran under the car parked in the driveway (Yes, I know… park in the driveway, drive in the parkway… Thank you George Carlin). I waited and he did not appear, so I deemed it safe to proceed down the steps, assuming he ran off in another direction.

Shadow and I made it to the bottom of the steps and to the street where Shadow waters the pavement daily. On the way back, Shadow finally picked up the scent of the raccoon, trying to make his way under the car where he was last known to be. Up to that point, he displayed no awareness of the ‘coon. We started up the steps, leash in one of my hands and snow shovel in the other (to be returned to its proper place on the landing) and stopped about 2 steps up upon seeing our intruder again. This time he was laying/sitting on a top step, oblivious to us. My patented “HEY!” failed to rouse him. I put the shovel down, picked up some snow and tossed it at him He raised his head, gave us a bored look and laid back down. This sequence repeated three or four times before he got up and scurried up to the landing and out of sight. Whew! So back up the steps we went, dog leash in one hand, snow shovel in the other,

It was Getting close to the time to leave for work, so I was relieved. The coon’s lethargic behavior plus his being out during the day had me concerned about his health, rabies, etc. Anyway, up the steps we went when Whoa! Up on the landing, clinging to a rail, he was waiting for us. This time, Shadow definitely saw him. They went nose-to-nose. When he is in that mode, Shadow is too strong to control with one hand, but I was trying to pull him back. The snarling started. Having planned well in advance for such a thing, (ha ha!), I held the snow shovel between them. With a few more strong tugs on the leash, I got Shadow to follow me back down the steps to safety. Now what? “Hello, I can’t make it into work today because a raccoon is holding me hostage!” I don’t think that is covered in the employee manual. I figured my wife, Brenda, would eventually notice me MIA. After what seemed like an eternity, I saw her looking out the window and I motioned for her to go to the deck on the other side of the house. I yelled to her what was happening and advised her to get a broom to try and shush it away. She did just that, well, sort of. She came out the door, broom in hand, and immediately started sweet-talking the antagonist. Not what I had in mind. He wasn‘t going anywhere, clinging to the rail. At least now I had a buffer to get Shadow (and myself) inside. We hurried past as Brenda protected us with her broom and cutesy talk. Next challenge, we had to get back out to go to work. With all of us inside, except Rocco (the now-named raccoon), we could see him still clinging to the rail as we looked out the window. The snarling had stopped. We decided to make a run for it and hurried past the cling-on Rocco. He didn’t budge, thankfully.

We were pleasantly surprised upon coming home from work to not find the garbage can and its contents strewn all over the place. Rocco was gone as well.

Life in the big city holds many little surprises! Just another day in the life….. Some suggested he only came by to visit his cousin, Caribou Freddie (the ferret) ha ha! Others, (who? Me?) insist it was my animal magnetism!!! Either way, he brought some excitement to our little world in Caribou.

Blessed Be!