Update... :( Saved a racoon, animal lovers read this story

[Pacfanweb]

Ok, I'll try to be as brief as possible.(kind of a long story)
This past Tues. night (Feb 13) was the 2nd anniversary of when the wife and I started dating, and the 1st anniversary of our engagement. Nothing to do w/Valentine's day, it just happens to be when we first went out.
Anyway, naturally, we were going out to dinner. Had reservations at the Melting Pot, a nice fondue restaurant. On the way, a racoon ran out in front of us at the last possible minute and I hit him. Hard, it felt like.(I drive a Tahoe, and it jarred the whole car)
Look back in the mirror and he's motionless in the middle of the road. I just knew he was splattered. Well, I'm a big animal lover (6 dogs, 5 cats), so no way I'm NOT going back to see if maybe he is alive.
Pull up next to him, and the poor thing IS alive, trying to raise his head.
Oh well, so much for dinner. We parked and the wife started directing traffic around him while I looked for something to pick him up with. Found an old map and ran out just in time to stop an 18 wheeler that couldn't have swerved to miss him. Grabbed the my excellent compatriot by the scruff of the neck, put the map under him(no blood), put him in the back of the Tahoe.
After Hours animal clinic wouldn't take him, said they would only put him to sleep. Said bad words to them, started heading home. During ride home, the little guy started moving around, walking all over the car. Right rear leg was hurt, but seemed ok otherwise.
Long story short, after another 1+hour of calling people, found a wild animal rehabber willing to take him. Drove 30 minutes to meet the guy. my excellent compatriot seems fine now.
Everybody said I was crazy to have the my excellent compatriot loose in the car, but what could I do?
Bottom line, never got to have dinner, but at least the night wasn't ruined by killing the racoon. BTW, a hurt my excellent compatriot if VERY hostile once it gets its senses back. Don't recommend handling without a net.
Dinner rescheduled for Saturday night. Suits me just fine.

Update: I talked to the rehabber today. The racoon died of internal injuries. At least he was warm and safe. Lots of bad news today.

 

[ArkAoss]

jee, i know some one who used to rehabe animals, she liked rehabbing injured birds, but people kept giving her litters of baby squirrels, which need constant attention, and the last nice bird she had, an osprey with a bad wing, she spent 6 months helping it, went fishing every day to bring it live fish, but one wing didn;t heal, so it wouldn't fly, and the state put it out.

And she never took racoon's they are never nice she said.

 

[Azraele]

I'm glad the my excellent compatriot was ok I'm also glad you stopped to help him. A lot of people would have kept on driving. Cheers to a job well done

I'm a big lover of animals and recently helped an injured kitty to heal up. He's 8 months old and had been beaten up pretty badly, there were some deep puncture wounds in his leg and it was all swollen. After talking to the owner (who says he's an outdoor kitty only) she let me take him inside so his wound wouldn't get infected and care for him until he got well. It took about a week of draining the wound and constant monitoring but he came though fine. Gosh I love that cat. I wish he was mine. :frown:

 

[Isla]

I keep a few blankets and a lead in my car for just such emergencies. I've let my license lapse, but I'm a rehabber myself.

If you had tried to go on to dinner, you would have felt guilty, so it's just as well.

BTW, The Melting Pot is a nice place... we have a couple down here.

 

[kamiam]

good for you!!! I used to have a pet racoon that I raised from a baby...neat critter

 

[Ornery]

Damn, should I say anything or not? Do you have any idea why the animal clinic said what they did? We are completely overrun with coons, skunk and deer here. Not to mention squirrels, but that's another story...

 

[GaryTcs]

Interesting there was a big thump in the Tahoe- We have one that I hit a deer with on Wed., and although it killed the deer, it didn't make a very big thump. You're lucky the my excellent compatriot didn't go postal on you, though.

 

[Yo Ma Ma]

That's a great thing you did, not too many people would have cared that much We helped out a groundhog/woodchuck last summer, who'd somehow managed to get his head firmly stuck inside of a metal can - was very bad because it was hot/hard to breathe and of course made him entirely blind. Finally got the can off, set him free and a couple of days later the neighbors live-trapped him, hopefully for relocation but with them you could never tell.

 

[Pacfanweb]

<<Interesting there was a big thump in the Tahoe- We have one that I hit a deer with on Wed., and although it killed the deer, it didn't make a very big thump.>> You're lucky the my excellent compatriot didn't go postal on you, though. >>

Yeah, the Tahoe jumped like I had gone over top of him, but judging by his moving around shortly thereafter, it must not have. I was honestly expecting a mess.

<<You're lucky the my excellent compatriot didn't go postal on you, though. >>
Everyone me or my wife has told the story to has said the same thing. I know racoons can be mean, particularly when injured. I guess when faced with the situation, we just did what we had to do.
I'd give my next paycheck to have a picture of the little guy with both hands on the back of the back seat, looking at us. He did it twice on the way home. Priceless memory.
He also curled up in the back seat and laid there for awhile, just behind my wife. The only thing I can figure is that he must have known somehow that we were trying to help him.

 

[GaryTcs]

It does seem that animals sometimes have a knack for knowing when not to act wild. (I wouldn't put one in the car with my kids, but it does happen.) Our cat used to be quite agressive, and when our first son was born, I thought we would have to give her up, but she became as docile as I have ever seen a cat be. Almost completely passive virtually overnight. (She got him once a couple of weeks ago, but he's two, and persues her with a passion. I have a feeling he was pulling her around by the tail.)

Anyway, I'm glad all worked out for you three.

 

[Tominator]

'Coons' are a nuisance! They are overpopulated and have various diseases which can be spread to other species. They carry RABIES and it can be spread to domestic animals.....I'm truely soory to rain on the parade....but next time let the 18 wheeler do it's job!:disgust:

 

[Isla]

<< It does seem that animals sometimes have a knack for knowing when not to act wild >>



No doubt, GaryTcs.

I have a 15-16 year old cat I adopted as a stray about 13 years ago, when I was pregnant with my oldest child.

That cat knows when I am pregnant, I swear! He gets all sweet and affectionate and hangs around more than usual. He knows the difference between a baby and a naughty toddler... Dr Indiana Jones is without a doubt the smartest pet I have ever had the pleasure of 'owning'... and to think he was just another stray once.

That said, as a rehabber I must point out that yes, you must use caution and common sense when dealing with wild animals.

It is pretty easy to educate yourself on proper handling of wild animals and the laws in your state/area, so if you are interested in helping wounded animals, do the research NOW!

 

[FettsBabe]

<< 'Coons' are a nuisance! They are overpopulated and have various diseases which can be spread to other species. >>



So are some humans, but we don't go around trying to kill all of them, do we?

BTW, humans have HIV, Clap, and other STD's that can be spread, but we don't kill them!

 

[Azraele]

Awww, poor my excellent compatriot But you're right, at least he was warm and safe when he crossed the Rainbow Bridge.

 

[StageLeft]

Thats like the commercial for the range rover and a couple misses some thing they were going to to pick up a dog on the road...

I'd probabaly have done the same thing. A truck in front of me once hit a bird and I turned around and stoped my car and spent 10 minutes trying to decide whether to run over it and finish it off or give it a chance to live...finally I decided to drive away and hope it lived. Who knows

It also ocurred to me that if I was rich and retired I would possibly start up one of these places that takes on wild animals and helps them out. Its like a vet without having to do the school (and of course you're not as competent as a vet, but I'm never gonna be going to vetirinary school).

 

[jorken]

raccoons are vicious little things. You're lucky he was badly injured when you handles him actually. There are a few rabid coons around here in my woods, normally if I see a raccoon prancing around my backyard during daylight hours I go get the shotgun. I don't really feel like I have much of a choice, if they are out during the day it is a sign that they are rabid and i'd rather not have a rabid my excellent compatriot running around in my backyard all the time. This has only happened two or three times, and not recently at all.

It's nice that you decided to help the raccoon, I know I wouldn't have gone near the thing. Sometimes no matter how injured, scared animals find a surge of ability to take a chunk of meat out of your hand.

 

[Yo Ma Ma]

Sorry to hear the news, Pacfanweb. It sounded more promising from the activity it was able to sustain after the initial injury.