Dog owner shoots raccoon as it attacks her pet

A Pasadena woman shot and later killed a raccoon as it attacked her dog at her home, officials said today.

“She hears her dogs barking in the backyard, heads out and sees a raccoon attacking one of the dogs,” said Lt. Bruce George of the Pasadena Police Department. “She tried to hit it with a hoe or a shovel or something, but it didn’t stop fighting her dog.

"So she goes and gets her gun and tries to shoot the raccoon, and it doesn’t do anything," he said. "It still doesn’t stop. And then she whacked it a couple more times with the shovel, and then the raccoon died.”

The woman killed the raccoon about 8:30 p.m. Tuesday in  her backyard in the 600 block of North Las Robles Avenue. Her name was not released by police because she did not commit a crime in killing the raccoon, which police believe was wild.

“She was just protecting her dogs,” George said. “The only reason we found out about all this was her neighbors called for shots fired.”

-- Nathan Olivarez-Giles

From the archives: Read about Times columnist Steve Lopez's problems with raccoons in 2005. And again in 2007.   

Comments

[NPR listener]

After the NPR program about raccoons with rabies I sure hope it is tested. The behavior sounds just like that in the program. If the dog was bitten it too needs testing.

[LBCSurfgoddess]

Good Girl,

I love Raccoons; my mom even had one as a pet when she was young, but in the city? They simply do not belong here even if it was originally their territory…. They are dangerous animals.

We have a big problem in Long Beach with them, and the damn city won’t do anything to help you out either. They say it is Fish and Games job, and F&G say it is City animal control’s job… Oh sure they will rent you a trap at the cost of 100 bucks a month, but they are too lazy to do anything about it. This was a dog, what happens when it is a child?

I am glad the Pasadena PD did not charge her (and shocked at that too)!

[chloe]

why is this news? when wild and domestic animals or people clash it's unfortunate. did we need the running commentary? did we need the blow by blow account? and really, did we need to put it into writing that the woman broke no laws by killing the animal? in this day and age that's all it seems to take for crummy people to start killing the animals that live amongst us.

i'm sad for the dogs and the raccoon. i'm sad that we've forced animals into suburban and urban areas with our continued encroachment on their original territory.

[Maxi3d]

Annie gets her gun

[Gaby C]

Pistol Packin' Pasadenian Proctects Pooches. Pow!!

[Jonathan Ball]

I can see it now: PETA and the other "animal rights" hand-wringers are going to picket the woman's house and hold candlelight vigils for the raccoon.

[Tom]

Good for her! I applaud her determination in saving her beloved pet and she should be held up as a hero. For this solitary positive story, there are many thousands of untold stories of people who have tragically lost their pets to "urban wildlife that was here first", and then had insult and insensitivity heaped upon their loss by the crackpots that basically say that their pets deserved to die because they were occupiers of land that isn't theirs.

[Bobby Hugo]

Not charged with a crime? 'Guess it's legal to discharge a firearm in Pasadena in order to protect your property.

[stewart]

I guess thats why its called OLD TOWN Pasadena then? Cause the ol,law of west of the Pecos still applies?

[Frustrated in La Canada]

I can certainly understand her. We are on our 4th lawn already. The racoons keep tearing it up. We have used netting, traps, grub killer (they eat the grubs under the grass), racoon replent (powdered coyote urine), pepper and motion activated sprinklers. Nothing seems to work. Several years ago, we were having a bar-b-q in the backyard and a whole family of racoons came to join us. I got the kids in the house while my husband took the hose to them to keep them away from the kids until they could get to safety. They are not afraid of anything and are a real problem. Animal control seems not to be too interested in helping out and it is a real problem. I wish I knew what to do. We want to get a dog but between the coyotes and racoons, even a dog is not safe in the yard. I don't remember this being such a problem even 10 years ago. What is happening?

[Frustrated in La Canada]

I can certainly understand her. We are on our 4th lawn already. The racoons keep tearing it up. We have used netting, traps, grub killer (they eat the grubs under the grass), racoon replent (powdered coyote urine), pepper and motion activated sprinklers. Nothing seems to work. Several years ago, we were having a bar-b-q in the backyard and a whole family of racoons came to join us. I got the kids in the house while my husband took the hose to them to keep them away from the kids until they could get to safety. They are not afraid of anything and are a real problem. Animal control seems not to be too interested in helping out and it is a real problem. I wish I knew what to do. We want to get a dog but between the coyotes and racoons, even a dog is not safe in the yard. I don't remember this being such a problem even 10 years ago. What is happening?

[racoon guy]

i am glad that pasadena pd did not charge her. however . . .

raccoon are members of the bear family, dangerous when cornered, and a destructive pain in the tail. still, they can and should be dealt with humanely.
the pasadena humane society will assist with trapping (not sure about the fee). it's easier and more rewarding (though doubtless illegal) to get a trap and do it yourself. there is an entire mountain range to which they can be repatriated. take them at least 3 miles from civilization and wish the little critters god speed as they scamper into the wild.

[JR]

If your dog can't take a raccoon in a fair fight, you need a bigger dog.

[jad]

This is why we don't need more people packing handguns in cities. If you have an easier time hitting something with a shovel than with a gun, you shouldn't be using guns. (And yes, I do know about raccoons, which are strong, tough, humorless animals. I also know that if you shoot one, and "it doesn't do anything", then you have missed.)

[Richard]

Why do you people move out to these places in the middle of nature and demand that nature either go away or do as you order?
Live in the city with the rest of the slickers and let nature be! Even there you might see a wild animal.
I live in a city and have a racoon in my yard at times...funny I never see any rats around here? I guess the 'coon keeps them at bay. I like the racoon better than the rats.

[Nancy H]

I live in Virginia and we have a real problem with rabies in wild animals, often raccoons. This sounds very typical of a rabid raccoon, it should be tested. But you cannot "test" the dogs- the only way to test for rabies is by examining brain tissue after death. The dogs should be quarantined, and their rabies vaccines updated. If the woman was in any way exposed to the animal's blood or saliva, she needs to start the series of rabies immunization shots ASAP.

[Mark]

To commenter at 9:44 AM, regarding raccoons there is not a rabies issue in CA. That applies mainly on the east coast and the southern US.

To commenter at 10:48 AM, it's "Old Pasadena" not "Old TOWN Pasadena". I don't care myself, but the city goes nuts when people put the TOWN in there. I guess there is an official trademarked name that they protect.

[Miklack]

The first two comments are good examples of both unreasonable extremes of this argument.

Chloe is " sad that we've forced animals into suburban and urban areas with our continued encroachment on their original territory." I'm curious where she lives. Is it somewhere that wasn't some animals territory originally?

LBCSurfgoddess says "They simply do not belong here even if it was originally their territory…. They are dangerous animals." Whether they belong or not is purely subjective and has no impact on what the raccoons are going to do. You have the choice to leave if you don't like it, the raccoons have no choice.

[Bud Smelling]

Our cat was dismembered by raccoons in Pasadena. Imagine waking up to collect the morning paper and finding your cuddly sweet pet ripped into bloody pulp and five pieces on the lawn. I suggest capturing all suburban rats and raccoons and releasing them in the homes of PETA supporters.

[John]

Also, a North Hollywood third grader spilled glue on his desk; and in Glendale, an elderly woman's cat coughed up a hairball. Thanks for the compelling reading.

[Bruce]

Next to humans, the second leading cause of death of raccoons is distemper.
Distemper (canine and feline) is very contagious.
Hopefully the dogs have been immunized.

Pasadena isn't exactly in the middle of the the wilderness.

[mturmon]

@richard --
600 block of N. Los Robles in Pasadena is hardly "the middle of nature".

Folks, it's not like this raccoon is a part of some primeval forest. It's probably living off grubs from irrigated lawns, acorns and avocados from irrigated plants, and mice and rats which forage off other human leavings.

It's better to trap it, but if it really did attack a dog, that's crossing the line.

My backyard raccoons seem to live off the housings of Time-Warner TV cables. Great for reception.

[Robert]

Did she at least eat the racoon or make a hat out of it?

[GetOverIt]

This IS news...many people are SICK to death of depressing crime and economic news.

If some of you people have an issue with the story DON'T READ IT! You act as if someone FORCED you to sit and read the story.

The mentality of this culture is just pathetic sometimes.

[Sue]

That shows how hard it is to hit a moving target with a gun. I'm glad she didn't shoot her dog.

[Eric]

To Bud Smelling,
If you were such a poor owner of a pet, especially a cat, to leave it out all night in a neighborhood with raccoons or coyotes then you basically signed it's death warrant. As for your PETA crack, grow the heck up.
We live where we can hear the coyotes fairly frequently, and we'd never let the cat out overnight or even our 70 pound Labrador Retriever who could definitely take care of himself against a coyote or four long enough for us to come to his rescue.

[Alhambran]

We have a bunch of raccoons around our home, as well as several [feral] cats that all share a bowl of catfood. Everyone seems to get along fine and we've never seen or heard them fight. The cats do seem to know however, not to mess around with these guys.

We also have a dog (although always sleeps indoors at night when the 'coons are about) and we've never had a problem there either. My only complaint is when they're running across our roof at night -- sounds like a human.

I love raccoons. The ones we have are pretty friendly, they stand up when they see us instead of running away. We do keep our distance though, they can be tough little critters if they feel agitated.

[Mark]

To Bud at 11:38 AM, sorry about your cat, we have a few and I love all cats. However, raccoons don't dismember cats into five pieces. That is almost certainly the work of coyotes, or perhaps a pit bull or other dog breed. Raccoons will occasionally attack cats (or cats attack raccoons) but it doesn't fit their behavior to tear them up, and they certainly don't attack them to eat. Coyotes do, and they are active in every part of Pasadena.

[BW]

I won't be surprised that every animal rights nut case will try and come after her at some point.

I agree that she has a right to protect her dog by killing the raccoon even using a gun.

[Mike]

RACCOON KILLER!!!!!!!!

[Bud Smelling]

So, Eric, we all now live in an entirely human shaped footprint. Can't we at least take the additional step to attempt to control which scavangers and predators dwell with us? When cougars are wandering your block will you be pulling the kids out on the sidewalk to give em a better look? I say we go whole hog and eliminate those causing grief. e.g. pet eating raccoons. After collecting the raccoons delivery directly to the nearest PETA supporter is the fair and balanced thing to do.

[chloe]

this is my second comment. i'm amazed at the hatred projected toward raccoons just for being raccoons. heh, weird. shoot it, it doesn't belong in the city. shoot it, they're crazy animals. shoot it, they're related to bears. shoot it, it must be rabid. (chances are it isn't BUT it certainly may be rabid.) just for the record i would defend my pets too, to the death BUT i would take precautions so it doesn't come to that. cats should be kept indoors these days. between cars, crazy people, other animals, disease AND over population they should not be allowed to roam. dogs shouldn't be left unattended in yards near the foothills or overnight. you can't just irradicate an animal because you don't like it and it doesn't fit into your lifestyle. i have raccoons in my neighborhood and even when confronted with a dog cornering him in a tree i've never had problems with them. not to say it can't happen but let's not go gunnin' for them, please.

[kacie]

HOO-WHEEE, sounds like that pistol packin Pasadena mama needs to git on out here to Texas and say howdy to some six foot rattlesnakes!!! Sounds like she kin last 8 seconds on a brahma bull, too. Y'all, I never did hear such a fuss over a itty bitty critter like a coon. Out here on the frontier, the dawg is more likely to get whacked fer not playin nice with the coon. This is purty dang entertainin, tho, so I'm a-hangin yer article up thar on the bully-tin board near the barn door so's all the menfolk kin read it when they mosey on home at supper time. Thanks fer the grins, surfer dudes.

[Norma]

I live in Inglewood (2 blocks directly east of Inglewood cemetery and two blocks north of Manchester Blvd) and last month in the late PM -- a raccoon attacked my German Shepard guard dog and tore her eyeball from the socket. We called SPCA and they told us it was a hopeless case so the dog was put down. It appears as though the raccoon was after the dog food we had in a 40 pound automatic feeder that usually lasted my dog for a week. We have since seen a family of raccoons walking the sidewalk in front of my home after sundown. They appear to be living in an empty bank owned home located diagonally across from me that has been abandoned and listed for sale for almost two years. We have appealed to the bank that owns the property, as well as, every appropriate Inglewood city agency that we know of and they have done nothing about the situation (we also have a problem with squirrels and roaches that we have complained about without any avail). I guess we will have to consider breaking the law and start shooting the raccoons because we cannot get the city to defend us against this scourge.

[Mark]

To Norma at 3:00 PM - Not to be rude, but c'mon no intelligent person would use a 40-lb automatic feeder outdoors. If you are too lazy to fed your dog each day on a schedule, then don't have a dog, but society doesn't deem it necessary to do away with raccoons for your dog-feeding convenience. Sounds like your dog was an outdoor-only "guard dog", which is just wrong on so many levels anyway. And to put a dog down for the eye injury, c'mon there are plenty of one-eyed pets that do just fine. You should take an injured dog to a vet, not the SPCA. You don't sound fit to be a pet owner.

[Frederick Drury]

Raccoons are commonly rabid on either coast. If you let pets congregate with them they are in danger even if not immediate. Raccoons will kill and partially feed on prey such as chickens, any caged bird or small animal it can get at.
Where I live in Reseda Ca, a large, small bear sized(medium dog sized)Raccoon killed one cat of mine last Summer and another weeks later. If I could have saved them with a firearm or any means I would have and will always wished I had.
If your family or family pets are being torn up, even by something considered cute, be responsible and protect them.