Dog adopts orphaned raccoon

A dog in eastern Missouri adopted an orphaned baby raccoon as her own after losing a puppy in labour. "We saved her life, and she saved the raccoon's life," said Sharon Maag of the St. Peters rescue group, SNUGGLE, Special Needs Under Gentle Guided Love Everyday. "I think what goes around comes around. It's the circle of life. I think that's the way it goes. She's just returning the favour."

Sasha the dog was likely headed for euthanization after being surrendered to a shelter with what appeared to be a large lump. The group SNUGGLE rescued her. "We weren't sure if it was a tumour or if she was pregnant so we brought her here," Maag said. "They did an ultrasound. She had two puppies inside of her. One was born dead." Around the same time, the baby raccoon showed up. It was found alone at a home in Saint Charles under the carport.

"We started off bottle feeding it and just couldn't keep up with its needs," veterinarian Dr. Kelly Hogan said. They thought to try Sasha, and a remarkable thing happened. Mother and pup took to the raccoon as if it was the puppy they had lost - cleaning it, grooming it and nursing it. "Even when he started making little raccoon kind of noises, she didn't have a problem with it," Hogan said. "And she loves him. She's protective of him now."


Sasha even jumps for her baby if workers have to take the raccoon away for any reason. "It's absolutely heartwarming to see that, to see them side-by-side like that and her attachment to him, it's amazing," Hogan said. Sasha will soon have to part with the baby raccoon. It's expected to be weaned in a few weeks, going to a wildlife rescue before being released back into the wild.