I arrived home from work yesterday at around 4:30. As I pulled in front of the driveway, I heard lots of yelling. I thought that Patrick must have at least tens kids on the trampoline with as much noise as I was hearing over the car engine and radio playing. Then I saw Patrick and his friends running across the street from the cul-de-sac where they had been playing, and also, Scott running out of the garage. I realized something must be wrong with Ray. Scott looked over the fence and yelled that a raccoon had hold of Ray.
It was terrifying! I was screaming at Scott to help Ray and then screaming at Patrick and his friends to stay back. Scott finally got Ray to let go of it and Ray ran out of the yard all bloody. Scott shot at the raccoon, but he only had snake shot in his gun so it didn't hurt it. He went to get different bullets but the racoon got away. Scott said it was probably sick. The raccoon was scrawny and for it to come into the yard with a big dog in broad daylight, it must have been sick.
Scott loaded Ray into the jeep and rushed him to the vet. The vet cleaned up the bites and gave him an antibiotic. Ray's shots are current, but the vet said they don't always work if he was exposed to rabies. So now, Ray is in quarantine in our backyard. It is very sad. We have to watch him closely for ten days. The vet gave us a print-out of signs to look for. I am reminded of the scene in "Old Yeller" and had several long periods of sleeplessness last night thinking of it. Please say a prayer that our dog does not get rabies. Thank you.
Posted by Rob for Sue.
Sue, How aweful for you, your family and Ray. What kind of dog is Ray? Thank God Scott was there! Your story reminded me of the time we had a skunk roaming around our house during the day. We couldn't leave the house because he was wandering around our yard. We tried to scare him with noises but there was no reaction. I knew he had to be sick. Animal control refused to help. They said we had to call a private company to have it caught and removed which as I found out was quite costly. I called Hyder who was at work and he came home and shot the skunk. Not such a cool thing to do in the city of Minneapolis but we felt we had no other choice. We had many neighbors with cats and dogs and I didn't want any one them to end up with rabies.
We'll certainly keep your puppy in our prayers!
That must have been just awful to witness. I've always heard that they were ferocious fighters when cornered. Poor Ray. Were any of the bites serious? The children must have all been traumatized since they couldn't help him at all. I agree that he must have been sick, but I will say my prayers that he wasn't sick with rabies.
Most raccoons are scrawny and they love dog food so I wouldn't be too alarmed about that part of it.
What I meant to say was that the raccoon scavenging for food in broad daylight and being scrawny are not necessarily indicators that he was sick. Ours do that here, too. They probably just stumbled across each other. You did absolutely right by taking the dog to the vet.
Ray is a 93 pound black lab. We bought him for Scott's parents when they retired. He'll be 9 years old in November I think. We brought him to live with us 2-1/2 years ago when the Claytons started traveling in their motor home and Ray became a burden. On days, when I don't work, I walk him for two miles in the morning which I really enjoy doing. Patrick and the neighbor children play with him in the cul-de-sac whenever they're out there playing. If they don't let him out, he barks incessantly for them to let him out.
Animal control called Scott today to tell him that Ray has to be quarantined for 45 days - not 10 days like the vet said. They also told Scott that he has to take him to get a rabies shot tomorrow and mail them a copy of the shot record. He has three different bottles of pills Scott has to somehow get down him, as well.
I couldn't believe how lucky we were that Scott was home. I asked him what we would have done if he hadn't been there. It scared me to think of Patrick being home alone and rushing in the yard to help his dog.
I didn't know you were teaching summer school this summer. You may have told me.
How is Ray today? Where is he being quarantined? Is he showing any signs and would he this soon? I know he will be fine. You loved that Old Yeller story. I wouldn't read that if you paid me. I don't read tear-jerkers, well, not on purpose anyway.