Boo the Raccoon

I hope that everyone had a great Victoria Day long weekend, because I most certainly did. My friends and I travelled about an hour north to Shelburne, Ontario to spend the weekend at the home where my friend Christine grew up. The weekend was great to relax and not worry about any city related issues. I also took many pictures this weekend. Some of the first are some of the most shocking. I had a close encounter with a raccoon.

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Okay, it wasn't really a bad encounter. I didn't end up in the hospital getting rabies shots to my behind, screaming in pain from the claw marks and scratches left from a vicious raccoon attack. Not that I wasn't afraid that would be the case. Apparently, raccoons can be rather timid, playful, and well, nice.

Christine has raised several raccoons at her home when they were found abandoned and left for dead. They grew up both in the wild, and under the care of a human. Now that Boo - so affectionately named because of her fear of pretty much everything - is all grown up, she wanders around, fending for herself, but comes by the house every evening for snack.

This is the closest I have ever been to a wild raccoon, and probably the closest I will be in a while. Boo was kind enough to let me get right next to her to snap a couple of photos while she ate. It definitely was an experience I wont forget.

View the set on Flickr.