# The Raccoons vs. The Shepherds



## Zuiun (Jul 1, 2011)

Took the dogs on their first camping trip.

The girlfriend and a friend of ours had arrived a day earlier, then frantically sent me texts to buy more food because they hadn't secured their food properly and raccoons had invaded.

So I arrive, with Brody and Tsura in tow, and more food.

We set up camp.

Immediately, Brody proves to be a perfect camp dog. Having the time of his life.

Tsura, as usual, is more nervous. Her own shadow is something that must be watched vigilantly. So camping is definitely an endeavor outside of her comfort zone.

It's not really that Tsura is freaking out. Just that she can't relax. There is stuff going on EVERYWHERE!!!

The camping trip is a working one. It's a festival and the girlfriend is vending (doing henna body art), so our campsite is in the vendor area. We make friends with our camp neighbors and hear their stories about how bad the raccoons are this year.

One neighbor says they were sitting by their fire the previous evening when a family of raccoons waltzes on by - not more than 2 feet from them - into their tent and back out with food.

Bold.

So that night we make sure ALL of the food is in plastic tubs and bring the tubs inside the tent. We hang the trash bag outside, knowing that if the raccoons really want it, they can get it, but it's the best we can do short of bringing it in where the dogs can nose into it.

We settle down for the night.

I'm guessing it's around 2 or 3am when I wake up to noise outside the tent. Nothing major. Just scurrying. 

First thing I notice: Brody and Tsura are sitting side-by-side at the tent flap, alert pose, ears up. We have all of our rain flaps open and just the bug screen flaps zippered shut so a breeze can come through. So you can easily see out of the tent.

Second thing I notice: four small shapes with glinty eyes shuffle toward our tent.

Brody emits a low growl.

I've never heard him growl before. Tsura, sure. She growls at the mailman, because, you know, you just can't trust the postal service. Brody will bark to alert us of company, but he doesn't growl. Ever.

The growl is deep and rumbles from his barrel chest. I can _feel _it.

So can the raccoons. They think better about our campsite and scurry off.

The next morning, every single camp neighbor had been hit. Trash or food. It didn't matter. In some cases, they broke into tents to steal stuff.

Not our site, though. We were given a wide berth. 

The dogs earned their right to sleep through the next day.

We didn't have to ask them to. They just knew that it was their duty to stay up all night every night we were there and guard our campsite.

They're good dogs.

Even if Tsura is secretly a chicken.


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

What a great adventure! Good job!


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## Magwart (Jul 8, 2012)

I love stories like this. What good kids!


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## 1sttimeforgsd (Jul 29, 2010)

Cute story, thanks for sharing with us.


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