Home Invaders

For the most part, Coloradoan's embrace their wild places and wildlife.  In fact many people move here to be closer to nature.

But how close is too close?  At what point is sharing space with the critters, less enjoyable and more inconvenient?

The night was cold and dark.  From my silent slumber, I awoke abruptly to Marley's loud barks and menacing growling.  He flew from the bedroom, racing down the hall and into the back living room.  Something was amiss... Marley, my docile Golden Retriever, rarely wakes during the night and even more rarely, growls.

I followed him and as he seemed reluctant to dive through the dog-door, I opened the back door for him.  He paused, then went for it!  Hot on the heels of an intoxicating scent, he barreled through the juniper bushes, which still harbored some heavy snow. Arriving at the back fence barking and growling still, we both realized, "it" had got away.

Back inside, I noticed footprints.  Some muddy and dried, a few very wet.  Not cat.  Not dog.  An uninvited guest.

Forensic evidence

The prints centered around the dish of dry cat food and the water bowl... where some of the cat food had been dropped in haste, it seemed.  I took a few bleary-eyed photographs and headed back to bed.  It was WAY to early for me. Marley was already asleep again.

Analysis (I.E. Google research) of the prints the next day, lead to one conclusion.  Our home invader had been a raccoon. With its tactile, five-fingered hands and cunning little brain, this nocturnal critter was fully capable of negotiating a dog door, locating cat food, dipping it in water and scarfing it down! According to Wikipedia, a raccoon can remember complex solutions to tasks for up to three years.  Yikes!  We have a problem.

This probably wasn't his first visit and is unlikely to be his last attempt either.  On further consideration, I had to admit to myself that there is a better than average chance that Marley (and I) had slept through previous raids.

I know what you are thinking... "Give Marley some more credit".  Ummm, no.
I have caught Marley napping in the back yard, with squirrels walking over him - literally!
Then there was the day a squirrel entered our back door and helped itself to a plastic container of corn starch from the pantry.... while Marley watched from six feet away, barely moving an eyebrow!

Honestly, I thought the squirrels were the cheekiest and most daring of the critters we share our yard with, until the raccoon incident.

Squirrel helps himself to ice cream inside the window.

Then I thought back to the night that Marley and his sidekick cat, Smokey Joe, engaged in a conversation with a skunk at 1am.  It's no fun to bathe a stinky, feisty cat, let me tell you!

Curiosity didn't kill the cat... it got him a bath though!

I also remembered the day I found Marley welcoming a deer into our yard... and was thankful it ate weeds in the back yard, instead of the new landscaping in the front yard.

Marley recommends jumping the fence for tastier weeds.

Animals in the yard, I am good with.  It's cute, it gives me warm fuzzies and helps remind me of the many things I love about Colorado, Boulder and my neighborhood.

I also understand that this time of year sees many animals trying to bulk-up before winter is upon them.  Not surprisingly, they turn to garbage, compost, pet food and other  food sources, if available.  We need to be aware that they are not just cute and furry...they are potentially aggressive, may carry disease and can be harmed by the interactions they have with us, our domesticated animals and the mischief they get into around our homes.

It appears I have discovered "how close is too close" for me. Uninvited animals in my house crosses the line.

As adorable as I imagine the furry masked bandit to be, I can't help I wonder what he got into after his feet cleaned up and his footprints became invisible to me!