Raccoon makes a rare aggressive visit near Wilton and Seventh

| March 4, 2021 | 1 Comment

ATTACKS by raccoons are extremely rare.
Photo by Harlequeen.

Mary Taylor and her dog were out for a walk on a recent Sunday evening in her neighborhood, at Seventh Street and Wilton Place, when a raccoon came from out of seemingly nowhere and attacked them.

Taylor was standing near her neighbors’ succulent garden when she saw her dog’s ears perk up.

She heard rustling from the fence and growling and thought maybe it was one of the wild cats that live in the area, or a dog, when, from about 12 feet away, the raccoon came charging at them.

The black-masked creature went after Ruby, her 50-pound cattle dog, and also clawed Taylor’s legs as Taylor tried to fight it off.

Though smaller than her dog, the raccoon bit and locked on to Ruby’s back, dragging her into the street.

“I was terrified,” said Taylor, who remembers screaming at this point.

MARY TAYLOR and Ruby.

“Somehow my dog fought her off,” she said, and the raccoon ran in an opposite direction to Wilton Place, and Ruby bolted to the front door of their duplex.

Both Taylor and Ruby had some minor gashes and bleeding on one leg. Her dog had recently had a rabies shot, and the vets assured her she would be fine. Taylor fled to the emergency room at Kaiser and was put on four rounds of rabies vaccines spread four days apart. The hospital notified the Los Angeles County Dept. of Public Health, which contacted Taylor.

Taylor and her boyfriend, who had moved here from Boston in the fall, adopted two-year-old Ruby from Mutt Scouts. A rescue from Tijuana, Ruby was timid before, and now more so, notes Taylor, an aesthetician. Her boyfriend mostly takes Ruby for their nightly walk now, and usually earlier than before.

Unusual behavior

RUBY sustained minor injuries in the attack.

“It is extremely rare for raccoons to attack persons or domesticated animals without provocation,” said City of Los Angeles Animal Services animal control officer and wildlife specialist Tami Shepphird.

The good news is that no one has seen hide nor hair of the raccoon since the Jan. 31 incident, she added.

“Typically, wildlife will avoid human interaction. In most cases where wildlife is becoming a nuisance, it is either ill or someone has been feeding them. I have seen squirrels become quite aggressive when they are used to being fed by people.”

What are they good for?

Raccoons are cute, sporting ringed tails and masks, and as carnivores, they are great at controlling rodent and insect populations. They also act as nature’s vacuum by removing carrion from around our homes. If it were not for animals like raccoons, we could be knee-deep in rodents.

Don’t feed the wildlife

Protect yourself and your pets. Dogs are required by law to be vaccinated against rabies. Keep them away from wildlife. Keep pet food and water indoors, away from wildlife. If aggressive or unusual behavior is observed, avoid the animal and report it to Los Angeles Animal Services at 1-888-452-7381. Visit laanimalservices.com. More information is at wildlife.ca.gov/Keep-Me-Wild.

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Category: Real Estate

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  1. Jammiieverettt says:

    That is just sad and went I feel so sorry for your dog 😢😥

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