[Wworm]

Would raccoons ever attack basset hounds?

We were camping by the beach in apparently raccoon country (food lockers were to keep the raccoons out, no bears here). We saw ~5 raccoons surrounding our campsite, some were only ~10-15 ft away, watching us from bushes.

Keeping in mind i am in/from suburbia and urban cities (and have only seen 2 raccoons in my life), so don't know much about them. i am sure some of you from rural country will be amused by how little i know about raccoons...!

Worm was on an extra long leash and had the run of the campsite, and I couldn't always see where he was in the evening, because of the dark. At one point, he crawled into a tent and slept in it. We were all on the other end of the campsite around the fire.

I let him hang out there awhile, but after a half hour, went to get him and put him on my lap by the campfire so he could sleep on me instead... because I was having visions of him being attacked by raccoons!!! does anyone know if that could ever happen? or is it just my imagination?

Worm is an adolescent (maybe if he was full-grown, i wouldn't have been as worried), though he does weigh 30 lbs, so he is substantial in weight. but as i've written elsewhere, because he is also a suburban dog who lives in an apartment, he does not encounter wildlife a lot. I have never seen him chase a squirrel, bird, duck,... nothing. He doesn't know what to do with cats. I'm not sure if he would ever fight or fight off something like a raccoon...

all thoughts on this appreciated, as I'd really like to know more about raccoons and dogs (esp re: bassets and if puppies/adolescents are more vulnerable too?

 

[vb3]

Raccoons are more like turkey vultures than they are like hawks: they kind of forage for easy food rather than run up and try to kill something. A bigger concern would be coyotes; a pack of them may attack a small, vulnerable-looking dog.

That being said they're all animals, including domestic dogs. If they feel threatened or if they perceive your hound as easy prey then an attack is possible. Depending on where you live rabies or other diseases may increase the chances that an animal might attack you or your dog. The best bet is to keep tabs on your dog all of the time.

 

[bubbad]

Rabid critters are not afraid of anyone or anything where it may be normal for them to run away, they will attack. If that should ever(God forbid)happen a suspect for rabies must have it's head intact to be tested,in other words ,don't let anyone shoot it in the head.The only way to tell if the animal actually had the sickness is by examining the brain tissue.

 

[Mikey T]

If they feel threatened or if they perceive your hound as easy prey then an attack is possible.

As far as prey that is not going to happen. the other way round possibly there are folks that have used bassets as coondogs.

That said a rabid aninimal and the most common rabid animal in the US us the raccoon are not of a right mind and will attack anything. so unless treaten by the dog can cornered or rabid the raccoon normal reaction to a raccoon to a dog is to run away. The more urbanized of these criters however have less fear of humans and other common animal in human vacinity and will be less threathened by them and less likely to flee.

 

[roscolaylamommy]

Perhaps you are also seeing a number of them together because it may be a mom and her babies. Raccoon's will have multiple babies and they tend to stay together until they're almost fully grown. So it may be that momma was teaching her babies how to take advantage of city folks out camping. (Only to find you were smarter than the average bear.)

 

[Corky]

Would raccoons ever attack basset hounds?

slim chance to none unless the **** is sick or cornered.

I'm a **** hunter and have Blueticks and Basset Bleu de Gascognes, hunted **** for 35 years with both hounds. and do a lot of camping.

Okay there is always a concern about Rabies, but keep in mind that there are different kinds of rabies. Accross the east coast and heading west is Raccoon Rabies. In my opion a bigger concern is a rare disease called "**** hound Paralysis" there is no known cure. I had one of my hounds get it, fortunately she did come thru it okay. This disease gets transmited from the bite of a raccoon.

When camping keep your hounds tied up and if **** come to visit you can chase them away with sticks and gravel, also thank those before you for feeding the "cute" wild things.

By the way in all my years hunting **** I've never come accross a rabid ****.

 

[Wworm]

Thanks for the input and we will watch out for those rabid rascally raccoons!

Rosco & Layla's mommy, I think you are right-- that's why there were raccoons that looked small to us. i bet some of them were juveniles...