The Down Range Forum
Member Section => Down Range Cafe => Topic started by: Hazcat on April 16, 2008, 09:25:53 AM
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Invading raccoon surprises, injures homeowner
April 11, 2008
By Samantha Tisdel Wright
A Ouray man attempting to rid his house of a raccoon, which had entered through a cat door last week, was bitten on his hands multiple times and suffered a punctured bone and a severed nerve.
Dr. Brian Degenhardt, D.O., who is employed at Rocky Mountain Integrative Medicine in Ridgway, underwent a series of rabies shots and surgery to remove bone fragments from one injured hand, and is set to undergo surgery to repair nerve damage in his other hand next week.
Early in the morning on April 3, at about 2:30 a.m., Degenhardt, whose family was at the time out of town for spring break, said he heard a noise in the living room in the area where the family kept food dishes for their pet cats. He came downstairs and in dimly lit conditions, reached for what he thought was a stray cat.
"I went to grab it on the back of the neck," Degenhardt said. "It started growling, scratching, biting, and making horrible noises. Then I saw its mask and realized, it was not a cat."
By the time Degenhardt realized his mistake, the raccoon was "chewing on my hand," he said. He was able to disengage himself only by throwing the animal across the room, where it hid in the house while Degenhardt cleaned up and investigated his wounds.
He called the police. The officer who came to the scene said, "there wasn't anything they could do," Degenhardt said. He declined to have the officer contact Emergency Medical Services and drove himself to Montrose Memorial Hospital for treatment.
The raccoon, meanwhile, remained in house (located at 832 Fifth St.), and "ended up destroying a significant amount of things," said Degenhardt, then later managed to escape back out through the cat door, although a Division of Wildlife (DOW)officer had installed a barrier there.
A live trap, left outside the house by the DOW in the hopes of recapturing the raccoon, failed in this mission but did manage to instead trap a skunk, which proceeded to spray the environs. The raccoon is still "at large."
In spite of the injuries he sustained, Degenhardt said he does not hold what happened against the raccoon. "My personal mistake was that I didn't know my enemy," he said. "I didn't spend the time to see what I was dealing with. The raccoon didn't do anything other than what it was created to do, finding food and defending itself."
http://www.ouraynews.com/Articles-i-2008-04-11-176990.112113_Invading_raccoon_surprises_injures_homeowner.html
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But yours was funny! ;D
Its all in the presentation right? ;)
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At least you didn't get your house sprayed by a skunk in revenge ;D
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Haz, our resident watcher.
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Good thing he did not have a pool in his house. ;D
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YOURS HAD A RUGER STORY!!
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Coons are mean SOBs... I had a choclate lab that was killed by one( well actually did so much damage I had to shoot him for humane reasons)
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Haz, our resident watcher.
I see you're well protected. ;D
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Coons are mean SOBs... I had a choclate lab that was killed by one( well actually did so much damage I had to shoot him for humane reasons)
Sorry to hear that. Way back when I had a black lab. Good (but crazy) dogs.
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I'm pretty sure he was fighting over the duck... we were duck hunting and the bird fell into the cat tails... after about 30 seconds we heard it start. Anyways, I've heard from several people over the years, a coon and whip any dog. Never beleaved it until that day.
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(http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k68/warhawke223/motivatorraccoon2.jpg)
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hooowe they are mean! we were hunting them once and got one treed and he was a big one my buddy hit him 10 times with a 10/22 and that coon got pi&*ed and started down the tree hissing up a storm he was just about to the bottom of the tree when another guy hit him with a 12 gauge and that stopped him . That coon had to weigh 45-50 lbs of pure mean. And I rally do not think they like being called 'kitty" any more than a skunk does. ;D
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I'm pretty sure he was fighting over the duck... we were duck hunting and the bird fell into the cat tails... after about 30 seconds we heard it start. Anyways, I've heard from several people over the years, a coon and whip any dog. Never beleaved it until that day.
Coons are better in water according to the old timers, so they try to get the dog into the water then woop his butt.
Yes , Haz we STILL laugh at YOUR coon problem, BUT WE LAUGH HARDER AT HIS. Oh the joys of nature ;D bet HIS cat has to learn how to ring the doorbell when he wants in now ;D and a sign that says "will work for tomato juice ;D
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Ya know, I am basically a 'city boy' (summers on the farm) but even I can tell the diff between a cat and a 'coon! ;D
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Ya know, I am basically a 'city boy' (summers on the farm) but even I can tell the diff between a cat and a 'coon! ;D
but not a possum. ;D
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I used to have friend ("Used to, that is") who had a pet coon. Raised if from a hamster sized pup and it KNEW ME from that age, but the little bastard never liked me. Years later I showed up at their house, came in, hugs all around, looked to see what was cookin', and old Pepper (who now weighs about 40 pounds) comes up and grabs onto my leg, jumps a little and bites through my jeans into my leg just above the knee. I said "Ow"! He drops to the floor, jumps again, and bites again a little higher and I naturally put my fist right between his eyes and he took off. The friends wanted to know why I hit their coon. The puddle of blood forming on the floor next to my shoe didn't seem to phase them. That was the last visit I ever paid them.
I've been bitten by a lot of things, but that really hurt.
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I honestly like wild animals (even 'coons in their place) BUT they are WILD. People need to learn not to try to make a pet out of everything.
Much as I love cats I would be more than a bit hesitant to pet even a "tame" one that is bigger than a regular cat. (meaning baby tigers etc are OK but after that...)
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I have seen my sweet Scarlett remove two racoons from the yard. Looked like those cartoon fights where there is a ball of dust, fur and teeth and paws sticking out, rolling across the yard. Fought to a draw each time, but I think it would be diffrent in the lake.
(http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj211/DMACK_2008/1203064.jpg)
Possums and lesser creatures stand no chance. No stray cats allowed, just her three.
Mac.