This spring we had the pleasure(?) of hosting a family of raccoons…in our garage…and what an interesting experience it was!

Mama raccoon moved in early in May, making parking in the garage no longer an option. Every time I entered the garage I’d hear her panic and scramble to take cover…which would startle the living day lights out of me since she was always sitting on top of the open garage door!

Soon after she took up shop, the babies were born. Noisy little buggers! For the longest time we could only hear them, not knowing where exactly in the garage they were…and it’s pretty wide open in there. We eventually found them hidden behind the work bench, between it and the back wall, in a tiny little cubby hole.

They all, Mama included, got used to us within a few days which made entering the garage much more pleasant. It got so that when I walked by, to leave for work, I’d say ‘Good morning babies’ and they would all squeak at me. Silly I know, but kinda cute.

Then one day, late in June, they were gone. We haven’t seen or heard them since, but the neighbours still see them from time to time living in a hole in the tree in our front yard.

I’ve heard that raccoons can be quite the handful, though these ones were pretty laid back. That doesn’t mean I’d want to experience that again, once is enough for me…they smell!