I am 80 yrs old grew up on a farm in northern Ohio. In the spring of
1953 while stringing a barb wire fence with my father in a wooded area I heard a twitter, it was a mother Racoon with 5 nine week old young.
I took one to the farm house and over the summer turned it into a
family member. My pet dog Mike, a springer spaniel would
tolerate coonie as I called him. Mike would come in from the
fields with burrs on him and coonie would groom him, putting
the burrs in a pile in the kitchen. Great time in my life as a farm
boy in Ohio.
TDM

I just saw two racoons having sex, out in the open in the middle of the day… Thought that was wierd because normally the come out at night and try to hide.

Had a dream 2 nights in a row. With a raccoon on my bed. 😔 Can’t remember much details about the first dream. But the second dream I was laying on my bed with some friends and out of nowhere I see a raccoon face and I jump up. Then my friend jumped up. The raccoon then jumps off the bed and runs out my bedroom door. Which I can know what this dream means.

Several sleepless nights after my mother died at home of cancer in the early AM of May 22nd of this year – a Monday – I encountered a raccoon in the backyard. And it wasn’t like any previous raccoon encounter, which typically commenced suddenly, as a shock to all parties, and quickly ended as we scattered in opposite directions. This one was calm, involving steady, studied eye contact. Especially the proximity – about 10 feet – tugged at my heart, and eager for a diversion, I put some Doritos out for her, which were gone by the AM. This repeated itself over the course of many weeks until she eventually became a ‘regular,’ and for health reasons I switched her to dry cat kibble, whole peanuts, and fresh grapes. Eventually she introduced me to her two cubs. I named them the McCoons – Stella, Boomer & Tulip, and learned they set up house & nursery in a tall pine in our back. After dark, they eventually came to my call. I also became acquainted with a giant, lumbering & obese but quite gentle adult male raccoon who sported rolls in place of a neck whom I eventually nicknamed Sugar Bear – aka Gus – for his talent at shimmying all 30lbs up shepherds hooks to dismantle the attached hummingbird feeders only to dump nectar all over his pelt, which he eagerly groomed away. Was he Boomer & Tulips Papa? No ones kissing & telling, although if so, Stella’s apparently pretty content at single motherhood, since she never passes up a chance to go alpha on Gus’ ample backside.

Ive since learned all I can about raccoon personality, behavior, health & culture, although it never once occurred to me that our interactions represented anything more than the chance intersection of domesticated & wild trajectories. Yet in my ongoing research about all thing raccoon, I eventually encountered the subject of animal spirit guides, particularly Native varieties. And in retrospect, the emotional diversion & sustenance these creatures have provided these last 3 painful months has been uniquely, memorably restorative. I’m not conventionally religious, or even all that spiritual, although I try & envy those who are. I’m also a bit of a skeptic regarding all things wow-woo or Gris-Gris. Yet something about what I’ve read elsewhere, and even here on this board, does resonate with the timing and significance of this huge life fork I’m wrangling, which includes a permanent 1,500 mile move to care for my now ailing (and difficult) father. I’m not sure where this is going, but since I’ve never before drawn any lines among the random dots that seem to comprise my present life, I figured I’d try in words here.

It’s now 9:44pm in Alabama, and so I expect my furry buddies to come bounding over the hill any time. Thank you to everyone who’s shared their experiences with these wonderful creatures, and of course, thank you for the opportunity to finally share mine.

My parents passed away couple years ago. The house is still as it was the day they past.
Had a dream I was upstairs and a raccoon ran across the hall from my room to theirs. OMG I thought
poor raccoon has been in the house w/out any food. Poor thing must be hungry.
NOTE: I live in Hawaii and go to the house every 2 to 3 months. So I was really worried and surprised
to see it was still alive.

I had lost my fiance to a drug overdose. He was a very troubled person. It was devastating to me. This was about 7 yrs ago.
In his last year, we bought an up north recreational property. It was a dream of mine, which he helped me obtain. After he died, Id go up there and wear my rings and cry and cry.
On the 3rd anniversary of his death, I was walking, and my vision clouded up like rolling fog. The fog parted slightly in the middle, and this snarling, growling raccoon came racing at me. I stood in fear, screaming on the road, opened my eyes, and everything was normal. A message was left with me, “Stop crying over me, Im not worth it.”
What was the significance of the raccoon? It was an unreal experience, I’ll never forget how terrified I was.
—Barb Andrews