Editor:
Re: Aggressive raccoons ransack White Rock home, Sept. 25.
I had just been wondering if the local raccoons are getting too comfortable in our neighbourhoods.
I live in Rosemary Heights where we see raccoons fairly regularly. They wander about the neighbourhood, they get into garbage etc. I’ve never really given it much thought over the years. For the most part, they tend to keep to themselves. We have a 10-year-old outdoor cat who has survived co-existing with them, so I figured it wasn’t really something to be concerned about.
That changed for me this past Saturday night (Sept. 21), when I took my dog out around midnight and encountered a raccoon just outside my front door.
Unfortunately, I did not see the raccoon until I had closed the door behind me, so we were backed up against my house with nowhere to go. My dog went for the raccoon and the raccoon went for my dog. A slight scuffle ensued. I started screaming and attempted to pull my dog back.
I can’t explain exactly how it happened, as these things happen so fast, but the raccoon, obviously feeling very threatened by us, jumped up at me and bit my leg. I was able to pull myself and my dog back into the house, however, the raccoon had still not retreated and I was terrified he was going to continue attacking us while we were trying to get back inside. Luckily that didn’t happen.
Fortunately, my dog suffered no injury, however, I ended up going to the hospital the following morning, worried about rabies and bacteria, etc. I ended up with a stitch in my leg to close the puncture wound and a prescription for a round of antibiotics to ward off any potential infection. I’m on edge now when I’m outside of the house in the dark. It is very unsettling.
I want to warn people to be careful, these animals are dangerous and will attack.
Charlotte Heed, South Surrey