How a Rescued Raccoon Became Her Best Friend

Hello, Guideposts. My name is Miss Dot. And this is my friend, Trouper.

Almost 10 years ago, when I was living in North Carolina, I got a call from a friend who told me that he had just seen a man hit a baby raccoon in the head with a golf club. And the reason he called me was he knew that I was a licensed wildlife rehabber. And that I would come and get this baby immediately, which I did. And that was almost 10 years ago. It'll be 10 years in June that Trouper and I have been together.

In the beginning when I first saw him, I actually didn't believe he was going to live long enough for me to get him home. But he just seemed to have a lot of "I want to live" attitude. So I put a lot of time into it and a lot of effort, because he deserved someone to care for him. He had lost his mother. And I fell in love with him, because he was a very beautiful little baby that needed a new mother.

The type of exercises I do with Trouper I developed myself. In the beginning, Trouper couldn't stand or walk. And I had to build his muscles back up and teach him how to lift up one leg after the other to keep on walking.

And I have developed exercises that will strengthen his arms and his legs and his feet. And it took about six months of the exercises and water therapy to get him to stand and walk freely on his own.

Because I am visually impaired, I have learned how Trouper feels in his also being visually impaired. We both need help sometimes knowing where we're at. And the fact that we are there for each other, we are safe, because he loves and trusts me, and I love and trust him.

I get a lot of comments, of course, from different people. The first thing is, "Is he your pet?" And the first reply is, no, he's not my pet. He is a rescue that is non-releasable, and I am his forever home.

They get real interested in being able to touch him. Everybody always wants to touch him. In fact, he loves having human touch. He likes people. He likes to cuddle up to you. He feels your warm body and your heart beating. And he feels safe. And he will actually relax into your arms.

One of the things Trouper and I do together is go to the beach. He loves the beach. He likes the fact that he doesn't see, but he can feel with his hands the water, shells in the sand.

He also enjoys swimming with me. And I take him out into the water. And he is free to move and swim without the fact that his brain injury would affect him. He has freedom of movement in the water.

The interesting thing with Trouper is taking him to a restaurant, especially with friends who come to visit him. And he sits there in my lap. And of course, he has to have French fries. And he likes ketchup on his French fries.

Troupe's unable to feed himself. That's part of his brain injury. He cannot pick up objects with his hands. So I have to hand-feed him.

When Trouper goes to bed every evening, I take him into his room. And just before I put him into his bed, I hold him in my arms like this and I tell him he is the most handsomest raccoon in the whole world. And I tell him, "Thank you so much for coming into my life and making it better. Good night, baby."