r/BeAmazed 13h ago

Miscellaneous / Others Two good Samaritans on paddleboards rescued a stranded raccoon from raging floodwaters in Austin, Texas

29.5k Upvotes

524 comments sorted by

u/qualityvote2 13h ago edited 3h ago

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u/fullchub 13h ago

Loved when the little guy went to find shelter underneath the dude. Lots of trust on both their parts.

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u/HolyHand_Grenade 13h ago

Cute but damn I wouldn't want a wild animal between my legs, good on the dude for keeping calm.

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u/nedalaugh 13h ago

Yeah I instantly feared for his um well being lol.

https://giphy.com/gifs/2X4aiXW43hyyk

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u/oshaCaller 11h ago

I caught one in a live trap and it ripped the handle off the trap. I had to use large pliers to bend it back into shape. It also ripped up all the grass under and within 6 inches of the trap.

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u/MisfireCu 11h ago

We caught one in a live trap once (we were TRYING to trap a fisher, but oh well). It fell asleep. Had to turn the trap on end then shake it to free the damn thing.

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u/cupittycakes 10h ago

Caught a skunk in a trap once. Made her a peanut butter sandwich and put it right outside the exit. She came out, ate most of her sandwich, and scurried on. It was quite scary going to the trap and propping open the door! We threw a towel over it as we approached and she stayed calm. Felt guilty because she got trapped in a coldish rain and got rained on, so the sandwich seemed appropriate.

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u/MisfireCu 10h ago

I was smoking outside once, sitting on a little half wall and reading a book. Felt something on my leg. It was a freaking skunk standing on its back paws with its paws halfway up my leg! It looked like a cat that wanted uppies/pets. I was like "dude you're cute and your making it really tempting... But I don't trust you."

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u/PineappleNice3709 10h ago

The first time I’ve ever heard of an interaction like this with a skunk! That’s awesome haha

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u/arggggggggghhhhhhhh 5h ago

I lived in complex that had a couple of nice garden areas. Several families of skunks lived in there and mostly didn't mind people walking around them. One walked up to me while I was sitting outside at night. It crept up right to my feet and I looked down expecting my cat. We just stared at each other for a few seconds and parted ways amicably.

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u/lttlbyrd 7h ago

Hey, fun fact! Skunks can’t spray if any of their feet are off the ground

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u/AlideoAilano 7h ago

Tell that to the skunks who prefer handstands as a defensive posture.

https://giphy.com/gifs/8dk1di89AglNK

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u/MisfireCu 7h ago

I both believe it... And also don't trust it lol. Just like the skunk that wanted uppies

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u/No-Victory4408 4h ago

I worked in an industrial neighborhood that was mostly old brick factories and parking lots, where there was a resident skunk. It would walk by most of us without a problem from a highway underpass, and only stopped and raised its tail as if to spray when one person was around. Eventually he would tell us he had messed with it before, otherwise it went about whatever business urban skunks go about when they have to pass within 10 feet of humans.

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u/cyanocittaetprocyon 9h ago

What are fishers like? I've never been around them, but have worked with several other Mustelids.

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u/MisfireCu 8h ago

They are evil! Just fercious: the only good predetor for a porcupine (which is why my area introduced them on purpose... Idiots I'll take porcupines) and their tactics on them are smart but mean. They scratch/bite the face and when the porcupine turns around to display it's quills(what it does) it jumps clear over it to go for the face again. When the porcupine gets too tired from turning/blood loss the fishet flips it and eats it.

Baby sitting course in my area actually warn people not to leave children under the age of 2 unattended in a backyard cause a fisher may go after them!

They can also scale a tree faster than most squirrels... They can rotate their paws and switch directions in a blink.

..... I may be biased tho. My parents moved to this lovely rural community and we're taking care of my cat while I was at university. This previous suburban cat was attacked by a fisher one morning. He brought the fight to outside my parents bedroom door that lead to a deck... Mom ran out screaming which scared the fisher off.... The cat disappeared for 3 days. My parents actually called me a day or two in (I had some exam or something they didn't want to distress me for) to tell me the cat was MIA.

Fortunately psycho (the cat) came back a few days later.... Apparently he had sought refuge in a neighbor's garage and they had inadvertently locked him in. He had two cuts tho: one on top of his head one on his throat... He also couldn't meow for a few weeks. The vet said the not meowing was okay but that thing had tried it's damnedest to decapitate my cat.

Mom wanted a gun after that... But fortunately found Canada's Gun laws had more hoops than she wanted to go through lol. Thus the trap.... Iirc the plan was to trap it then throw it in the pond... Maybe not the most humane solution but it is what it is.

..... The landscapers also were appalled when they thought we were trapping the poor little coons lol. We were like: WE WERENT TRYING TO

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u/soopydoodles4u 7h ago

That’s pretty messed up. Fishers are native to NA, cats are not. Wanting to drown a native animal in a trap for attacking an invasive species that should be inside is very cruel. I say that as a cat lover, mine are strictly indoors as they should be.

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u/MisfireCu 7h ago edited 7h ago

All our cats after this incident are indoors. That fisher in particular was not native. He got introduced to the area by government wanting to control porcupines( to I guess defend trees?... And there many of those here and it's fine if the beavers get them. But even still the porcupines were native).... And got encouraged by a neighbor literally feeding him ducks.

Would you feel better if the trap was set to protect my 2 year old niece?

Yeah drowning is not the best... But from studies it's actually a pretty peaceful way to go. Would you rather we set lethal traps that would have gotten the poor native racoon?

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u/SwantimeLM 6h ago

Wait, what area is this? I just searched (albeit briefly) for this, but I can’t seem to find anywhere that intentionally introduced fishers. That just seems like an odd animal to bring in where it wasn’t native, so I’m curious about that.

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u/__MOON_KNIGHT___ 8h ago

I watched a fat boy rip one open with its teeth and escape in like 10 minutes

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u/covered1Nbutter 7h ago

Imagine that on his ol fun onions ehh?

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u/Dramatic_Charity_979 10h ago

"That's a lot of nuts" --->Immediately bites the groin :P

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u/LauraLand27 9h ago

Both well beings

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u/TheSilkyBat 12h ago

I wouldn't want a wild animal between my legs

that's where we're different.

https://giphy.com/gifs/Md4rjouBOVOAeb7GTh

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u/NoShow4Sho 10h ago

Personally, I always have a wild hog between mine.

https://giphy.com/gifs/z6EJ58NrwRlD2

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u/jaxonya 10h ago

Ive been bitten by a racoon. It doesnt feel good, and its bite wasnt super aggressive. I know that this video was an extraordinary situation, and in the circumstances, animals will accept help, but under normal circumstances they can and will hurt you more than a cat. Like a cats on a 8% fuck up meter, these are like a 10-12% meter (doesnt include rabies) they arent good for you to tussle with, unless ur armed or ready. Dont just go petting one, ever

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u/CapeMOGuy 10h ago

They have some business-minded claws, too.

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u/Rare-Adhesiveness522 1h ago

raccoons are viscious little fucks when they want to be

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u/cupittycakes 10h ago

Raccoons have been known to eat cats, so there's that!

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u/RustedRelics 10h ago

What movie/show if this gif from?

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u/NoShow4Sho 10h ago

Kingsman! Not sure which one, but they’re all fun recommend. Good fun action movies.

The other gif I was going to use had James Franco winking, but with his background and recent drama I thought this was more appropriate. Eggsy is a lady killer!

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u/saltporksuit 10h ago

I’ve saved a few wild animals. They seem to understand when you’re helping.

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u/No-Crow-775 7h ago

I rescued a four month old black bear cub whose mother had just been struck and killed by a vehicle. He was standing next to her body crying. I’m terrified of bears but damn if my maternal instinct (even though I’m intentionally childless at age 58) was screaming “That is a baby! He’s going to get hit too! Any damage he does to me will heal!” I grabbed that little guy under the front legs and wouldn’t you know he started nuzzling my neck and chortling. He ended up a local rescue to finish nursing and learning to be a big guy and then will be relocated. He clawed my back but only to get initial purchase when I picked him up. Zero true aggression but only because he exhausted himself from crying.

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u/Caffeine_Induced 1h ago

OMG, what a story! you gained like a million karma points from the universe or something.

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u/AlpacaMaracca 2h ago

I feel like I'm going to exhaust myself from crying just reading this. Thank you for helping him!

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u/Ppleater 3h ago

Sometimes they understand, often they don't, but in a case like this as long as you aren't trying to grab them and you stay calm without sudden movements they have no real motivation to bite you. It's clear it sees the humans as a potential sources of shelter from the flood more than it sees them as potential predators, it has no reason to want to compromise said shelter so long as they don't present as more of a danger to it. It would likely be a very different story if it was being held against its will while trying to get away.

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u/nametaken420 12h ago

raccoons are pro swimmers, seen them outswim an alligator and seen others drown a ferrel dog. That raccoon is just fucking with these humans.

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u/Woozletania 11h ago

They aren’t immune to drowning. Half of the "chupacabras" or mystery animals washed up on beaches are bloated raccoons.

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u/Joelle9879 11h ago

Did you miss the "raging flood waters" part? Even strong swimmers can drown in a strong current

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u/pjs32000 10h ago edited 9h ago

The raging floodwaters line is nonsense. This is Town Lake/Lady Bird Lake in downtown Austin. It is a water level controlled lake with dams on both ends, it's not really a lake but the dammed up Colorado river. The dams are used to control the water level so it never really changes except intentionally when it's lowered for cleaning. There is a downstream current because it's a river but not a particularly strong one, unless dams are more open than usual due to upstream flooding but that wasn't the case when this took place. This is just a situation of getting caught in the rain. If it were raging floodwaters the paddleboarders would be the ones needing rescuing.

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u/Dr_Sigmund_Fried 11h ago

You saying he's intelligent enough to exploit a person?

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u/green-green-bean 11h ago

Tell me you don’t live in Toronto without saying you don’t live in Toronto.

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u/crestedgeckovivi 10h ago

Raccoons are the original OG squatters .

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u/TammyString-Tugger 12h ago

That raccoon is just waiting to steal his wallet.

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u/MmmBeefyMeatCurtains 12h ago

Imagine it bit his nuts? What a wild turn of events that would be...

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u/llegacy 11h ago

The scorpion and the frog fable needed a modern update.

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u/6d_9 10h ago edited 6h ago

The scorpion and the frog fable needed a modern update.

...The Borg and the USS Voyager

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u/A30N 2h ago

"The Borg?" Sounds Swedish

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u/Agisek 11h ago

"Why would you bite me? Now we're both getting a Darwin award."

"Cause I'm a wild animal and you're on so many drugs you're hallucinating talking to me..."

Is how I imagine the modern retelling going.

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u/Lower-Cantaloupe3274 12h ago

We would have both been in the water.

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u/Ok-Term6032 11h ago

yeah that little moment was the part that got me he knew exactly who the safe option was

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u/nobody2008 12h ago

"I got your back!"

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u/Far-Hovercraft9471 10h ago

More on the part of the animal, I think. They know we’re bad news

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u/chemprofes 10h ago

Don't chew his....

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u/akatherder 10h ago

Johnson, what's that raccoon doing by his...

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u/DivineCurses 9h ago

Dude straight up incubated that trash panda

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u/MambaMentality24x2 13h ago

I can't say I'd stay this calm with a wild raccoon seeking shelter between my legs, but he handled it perfectly and saved its life 👏

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u/TerrapinMagus 13h ago

I get that a lot of animals know when you are helping them, but Racoons in particular have just enough devilry in them that I'm not sure I could really trust this little dude.

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u/Vast_Schedule3749 12h ago

There’s quite a few raccoons in my neighbourhood. I honestly don’t think I’ve ever seen their devilry on display. For the most part, they really just want to be left alone. My stupid ass cat thinks it can take them on and every time they either scuttle away or stare at her as if she’s an idiot.

It’s only the mom’s you have to be wary of. They’ll get defensive. Still no devilry there. Just protective. And sure, they do like getting into garbage but that’s just being hungry.

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u/CariniFluff 11h ago

My cat used to hang out with the neighborhood possums and raccoons (as long as it wasn't a mom and babies).

I remember opening the back door to my deck and finding one of each just chilling like 2ft apart. They would kinda get startled by the light and sound of the door but not scared enough to run away. Then they would just sit there staring at me like I was an idiot intruding on their little play time.

Thank God my cat never tried to befriend or attack the resident skunks, that would have meant no more backyard privileges for him.

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u/akatherder 10h ago

It's a lot of learned behavior. I'm used to pretty feral raccoons. Not exactly aggressive, but more likely to posture and then run off. We went to a cabin in Gatlinburg and the raccoons there were obviously handfed and spoiled with food. They all ran up on me while I was grilling, looking for a handout, but I was scared and ran inside. We sat in a hot tub later and they all just hung out on the deck, like a dozen of them.

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u/atln00b12 9h ago

Raccoons are actively going through the process of domesticating themselves now just like wolves / dogs did so long ago. As it plays out here, the raccoons that are more trusting of humans have better survival odds. If this had been a more fearful or temperamental raccoon he may not have been able to be saved.

This one doesn't look like it, hard to tell, but a lot of raccoons have started having some common features of domestication like the whites of their eyes being visible and having shorter noses.

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u/kolejack2293 9h ago

I lived near prospect park, brooklyn for nearly 20 years and it was literally racoon city. Like when we walked through at night, you could spot easily 10-20 racoons in a thirty minute walk. They often came right up to us when we would hang out at the bbq benches.

Never once had an issue. But we also never went up to them for any reason (except one smaller racoon who was friendly)

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u/shmiddleedee 11h ago

My childhood cat was very large and hunted raccoons and possums. I know now outdoor cats aren't good and my current cats live indoors. Anyways he'd drag big ass dead raccoons home every couple months.

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u/Loud-Competition-82 12h ago

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u/TerrapinMagus 10h ago

Obviously full of evil

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u/Pretty_Study_526 7h ago

He won that golden scooter in a game of SCOOT against the Devil himself

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u/Aranxi_89 8h ago

Raccoons are really smart. He understood pretty quickly. He was trying to stay dry by getting under some cover, because being cold is a caloric deficient and could be the difference between life and death for a wild animal.

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u/JimMarch 10h ago

My worry would be rabies :(.

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u/Melodicbananas 12h ago

I was thinking the same exact thing

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u/RS-BC 12h ago

I was thinking about this. It’s weird. I live in Canada. The raccoons here are crazy at least here in British Columbia. They will come after you hiss now you go to Dominican Republic their docile you could almost pet them

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u/Nefertete 10h ago

You clearly haven't met the town lake racoons

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u/Hax_ 8h ago

My cat does this exact thing all the time, I would just find it cute.

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u/No-Mall3942 10h ago

Thought you were being funny...watching the video made them tuck inside like a turtle head. 

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u/ReachParticular5409 8h ago

No urban racoon is truly wild, too much exposure to humans and human scent on their food.

I mean I wouldn't trust them between my legs like the above vid but they don't have the same responses to humans as most wild animals

Give em a few thousand years maybe we'll inadvertently domesticate them

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u/BookOfJon 13h ago

I find it crazy raccoons aren’t widely domesticated yet. They’re such smart/food driven animals even without the pack mentality you’d think they’re instincts over thousands of years would override it telling them humans can be a great source of food and security

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u/mooshinformation 13h ago

They're smart and have hands, they get bored inside and can open doors and drawers and packages. I imagine it's similar to monkeys.

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u/Hivernala 12h ago

I’ve heard they are very sweet and affectionate, if mischievous, but once they reach maturity they become very aggressive and basically feral

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u/dontgetsadgetmad 11h ago

So my mom had a pet raccoon growing up and while it was nice into adulthood it was very destructive

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u/sequesteredhoneyfall 10h ago

I've always heard that they're fine as long as you have a dedicated room to throw them into when they're in a mood. A room where they can't harm anything, including the room itself.

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u/vigilantesd 8h ago

That room must be made of .25” stainless steel, or they’re gonna chew through the walls. 

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u/WillBlaze 9h ago

what are some examples of how it was destructive? I've never known anyone to have a pet raccoon so I'm very curious

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u/dontgetsadgetmad 8h ago

It dug holes in walls, constantly broke into the cabinets for treats, basically was an agent of chaos.

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u/BlgMastic 8h ago

Raccoon can chew through chicken wire if motivated enough and it doesn’t take much to motivate them.

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u/issacsullivan 6h ago

As others have said, they will chew through drywall, wood or plaster to get to food even if they are not hungry and will treat it like they are doing you a favor hy removing the barrier to food.

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u/thegoatmenace 11h ago

That’s the kind of thing that domestication takes out of them though. Wild dogs and cats are also very aggressive but the domesticated varieties lost those traits

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u/CursedCorvid 10h ago

But true domestication takes thousands of years of select breeding. Like with "domestic" foxes, they're not domesticated, they're tamed and more tolerant of humans than wild foxes, it's why they also make horrible pets. Tamed foxes are still very destructive, territorial, and prone to tooth and gum disease from a poor diet. Raccoons are sweet until maturity then they become what they are - wild animals. They're also prone to becoming obese because of poor dieting. People feeding them human food instead of fresh food, meat, bugs etc. A lot of domestic animals are also able to become or are bred to be aggressive.

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u/thegoatmenace 10h ago

Yeah that’s what I’m saying if we had decided to domesticate raccoons 5 thousand years ago they’d have a very different temperament today and likely make great pets

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u/Figment-of-eco 10h ago

God I wish.

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u/TheUnicornRevolution 8h ago

The Siberian Fox domestication project is a fascinating look into how it all happens.

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u/CursedCorvid 8h ago

I know about it. It's interesting, they're becoming more domesticated the same way pigs are, in a sense that they LOVE human attention but are still destructive, independent, and pee everywhere. They do eat cats, not sure if that's something you can breed out. I guess like with hunting dogs, you raise them together and train them very well to not go after other animals they live with. Foxes are very smart so I assume they could be trained, especially domesticated ones.

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u/cryptobro42069 10h ago

Tell that to my dog that shreds his bed, our couch and every toy we give him.

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u/Thisismyfinalstand 10h ago

Okay, I'll tell him, where is the good boy?

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u/cryptobro42069 10h ago

Oh, he is a good boy. He is just a big silly dude that loves pulling the stuffing out of everything. And he apparently really hates squirrels and moles.

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u/EndIsrael 10h ago

That isn't aggression, he does it for love of the game

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u/Drow_Femboy 10h ago

You've got a mutant devolved half-wolf

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u/cryptobro42069 10h ago

Not wrong at all. He is a Catahoula Leopard dog, which is (according to some questionable records) a mix of mastiff, greyhound, bloodhound and french beauceron. Some say the Native Americans bred them with the local red wolf population as well.

Could be closer to a wild dog than most modern dogs.

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u/1cat2dogs1horse 9h ago

The sister of a high school friend found a baby racoon and hand raised him. She named him Hemmingway, for some reason and he went everywhere with her. Never had any problem, and we all played with him. Then on day once he was grown he got angry and hamstringed the sister. She walked with a limep ever after that..

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u/thornynhorny 10h ago

I wouldn't say feral but yeah instinct does take over and they go wild

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u/123qweasd123 10h ago

Does this apply to neutered examples though?

Because unneutered "domesticated" animals often do this exact same thing

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u/thornynhorny 10h ago

I have never tried to neuter one.... they're always orphans raised to be re-released in the wild

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u/123qweasd123 10h ago

Yeah that’s kinda my point. People talking about things that make bad domesticated pets, without actually doing the things to domestic the pets

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u/thornynhorny 10h ago

Where i'm from, it's illegal to keep them as pets so I wouldn't try. That said, for some reason most of the raccoons I've rescued have been girls, and also I have two intact male dogs and they never went wild..

Unless I had the time to keep the raccoon entertained ALL THE TIME I wouldnt try to domesticate one. They are too smart and get bored easily, and you know whats a LOT of fun? Destruction lol

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u/cryptedsky 7h ago

You ever read on the soviet/russian experiment to domesticate foxes? Over many generations, they selected only the tamest foxes to eventually breed pet foxes. Most interestingly, as a side-effect of selecting for tameness, the resulting foxes kept juvénile traits into their mature stage, like drooping ears, fluffy white and grey fur and other traits I'm forgetting.

If we were to select for tameness in raccoons, the same thing would probably happen

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u/Wishnik6502 12h ago

They're also able to burrow straight through walls.

"Hmmm... Human has hidden the snack cakes in her closet." *starts knocking on drywall looking for studs\*

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u/Ok-Confidence9649 11h ago

Years ago I had a friend whose boyfriend took in a baby raccoon. It got into so much stuff and had diarrhea all over. It was a huge mistake and so not worth saying you have a raccoon lol

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u/RescuesStrayKittens 11h ago

I had an orphaned baby raccoon. It was a very young baby. I bottle fed him and had to massage its belly to get it to go to the bathroom. Sadly, it died after about a week. I still feel sad and guilty about it 20 years later. It might’ve been for the best, having a mature raccoon that is unfit for rerelease wasn’t a great outcome.

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u/m0nk37 10h ago

its just chalk between construction paper. In american homes you can just go straight through. Same for the outside. Its basically just plywood on the outside. 

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u/xeothought 10h ago

Yeah cats with thumbs... I can't imagine the chaos that my cats would create if they had thumbs lol

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u/styrofoamcouch 11h ago

A hillbilly in my school had a raccoon before he moved up north and he said they'd have to Rubberband or put locks on cupboard bc they will steal and eat entire jars of peanut butter.

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u/robbin-smiles 10h ago

Who here hasn’t eaten a whole jar of peanut butter

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u/Frank_Perfectly 10h ago

Monkeys are just big silly heads!

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u/YoungerMucus 13h ago

apparently it has been tried and it’s an absolute mess

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u/TAU_equals_2PI 12h ago

You're thinking in too short a timespan. It's not like wolves can be domesticated into dogs by just trying several times over a few decades. So OK, it hasn't happened yet. But it seems reasonable to expect it might happen sometime in the future. And by future, I mean a fairly long time, waiting for the right mutations to appear.

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u/KateEatsWorld 12h ago

They did a domestication experiment on silver foxes via selective breeding and the changes actually happened relatively fast. They had phenotypic changes in the 8-10th generation and were completely domesticated by the 30th generation. The domesticated foxes acted much like dogs and sought out human contact.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2763232/

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u/TAU_equals_2PI 12h ago

I've heard about that experiment a few times before, but I'm skeptical about how high a level they really achieved. Simply because you regularly hear people say how much they would love a pet fox, and yet the final result of that experiment hasn't become the latest pet fad that people are adopting. But I'll admit I haven't looked into it in any detail.

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u/anope4u 10h ago

Foxes stink and the domestication didn’t help that part.

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u/PurpleDragonfly_ 12h ago

Foxes aren’t legal to own many places and without enough customers there’s no real incentive for breeders. There’s simply no need because dogs exist and the hard work has already been done.

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u/InnocentlyInnocent 12h ago

If dogs are domesticated wolves, what should we call domesticated racoons

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u/Historical_Bottle557 12h ago

Trash Retrievers

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u/newleaf2021 12h ago

Raccacoonie

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u/istrx13 12h ago

Ractrashpandas

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u/AWeakMindedMan 12h ago edited 12h ago

Isn’t there a new species of raccoons that were recently discovered? Iirc (could be very wrong lol) but they said something about city raccoon vs wild raccoon or something like that?

Edit: found it. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/nov/28/raccoons-domesticated-by-us-city-life

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u/YoungerMucus 12h ago

there are i think raccoons in Japan that have adapted/evolved to- seriously- appear more cute, similar to dogs or cats or something, appear more approachable and friendly to humans as that gets them more food

i’m only vaguely remembering a story i read in the last year, but it is something to that effect

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u/vinng86 12h ago

Yeah there was an article last year on them evolving to be cuter:

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1j8j48e5z2o

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u/VaderH8er 9h ago

There it is. This should be higher up. Thanks for posting, I was surprised I had to scroll so far down to see someone mention this.

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u/VaderH8er 9h ago

Yep, I remember reading that one too. It's a shame this info isn't higher up in the thread.

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u/YoungerMucus 12h ago

i’m not thinking about domesticating raccoons at all, i’m just saying why people have given up their attempts. i’d love it if we could have them as pets, but apparently breeding out their wild instincts is difficult enough as to leave people ready to give up. but yeah you’re right, it’d certainly take decades to get it right, at the least.

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u/NetSiege 12h ago

There's a reason humans were willing to work through the issues of domesticating wolves into dogs over a long period of time, because there was a value to society that those domesticated animals brought.

Domesticating racoons servers no purpose other than just wanting them as pets. It's not worth the time or difficulty on both sides to try to force domestication.

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u/TAU_equals_2PI 12h ago

Yeah, I guess you've got somewhat of a point.

At a time when early dogs kinda helped but were still problematic, if that's the best that's available, you use it but keep trying for something better.

It's just like with any new technology. I used dial-up internet back when that's all there was, because it was still better than walking to the library for information. But now that I'm using whatever blazing speed connection we have in 2026, dial-up seems awful by comparison.

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u/Deathwatchz 12h ago

My wife and I rescued three baby raccoons from my buddy. They had been taken out of a customers attic and my buddy had no clue what to do with them. They were adorable but damn was that a pain in the ass.

We found a raccoon rehabber to take them on her property once they were weaned.

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u/ouroborosstruggles 13h ago

They tried it in Japan I think. They are so cute.

But they are also smart. And their hands let them get into anything. And I think they spray?/ have a musty smell. It didnt go well over there

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u/justme002 12h ago

They are extremely smart, they haven't forgotten they're a child of the wild nature.

They're also vindictive assholes. You just THINK cats are petty shitheads. Raccoons will fuck the entire world when they're pissed.

They are too smart and mean to be wholly domesticated

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u/obibonkajovi 12h ago

you cant domesticate them. but, you can unleash pure chaos if youre routinely kind to them in your area. 

DO NOT BE MEAN TO RACCOONS. they remember. you will have to move or get armed.

DO NOT FEED RACCOONS. 

they will kill your pets too.

Raccoons are basically the special forces of the woods. 

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u/Fun-Cauliflower-1724 12h ago

They are showing evidence of domestication syndrome so it might be heading that way

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u/EfficientAd3625 12h ago

Raccoon’s have what they perceive to be the best of both worlds right now. They haven’t yet gone all in like cats. I fully believe it would happen eventually but humanity seems intent on exterminating themselves within the next few decades so raccoons will end up being the ones that got away.

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u/TAU_equals_2PI 12h ago

Nah, that means they're next in line for top species.

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u/EfficientAd3625 11h ago

I fully support my new Rocket Raccoon overlord.

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u/Budpalumbo 12h ago

My buddy had one years ago, not sure how or why, but there was nowhere and nothing in the house that it couldn't get into no matter what they tried.

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u/russfan0987 12h ago

Heard a story where a person left their ‘domesticated raccoon’ with the house momentarily and came back to their crib absolutely ransacked, from under the rug to the highest cupboards

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u/Imaginary_Cake_9691 11h ago

With how things are going with the economy I can see people wanting to possibly domesticate them as pets to start…. acquiring objects. Imagine like the raccoon from Pocahontas just sneaking in real smooth and grabbing all the shiny items for their human. The thing is I’m not sure the raccoon would want to let go of the shiny items but I’m surprised people haven’t trained them to commit crimes. Imagine having a squad of raccoons sneaking up and jacking all of your stuff. Now obviously this would not be morally acceptable but they’d literally be the best at performing a heist bc they’re the best thieves. If you start training some now, when things get worse you can just start sicking your gang of raccoons on people 🦝🦝🦝🦝🦝
Pirate Raccoons 🦝 🏴‍☠️👑💎

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u/Bizarrebazaars 8h ago

They are so damn reckless. They could cause a disaster in the home. If they get into your attic, they’ll tear shit up,  piss and shit which is toxic. And you’ll basically need to remediate the entire area.

Look up “raccoon latrines” too. Gross! Their shit is so toxic and full of parasites that you basically need to wear PPE, take a shovel and scoop all the shit up, not breathing in any dust from dried up poo, dump in a bag and seal it up, then pour boiling water over the shit area and the shovel, then even torch the area with propane to kill all the parasites. Then change and shower off right after. So fucking gross!

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u/Grizzly-Hoser 13h ago

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u/MostlyBored11 13h ago

Right, good humans helping out nature this gif is perfect lol

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u/Natrixster80 13h ago

Life of Pi but raccoon

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u/Lazaras 10h ago

I think you missed the metaphor where everyone but Pi dies on that boat

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u/Guilty_Reindeer8204 11h ago

Was there ever a raccoon even there??

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u/No-Criticism-2587 10h ago

Was there ever any animals there?

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u/TarzanSawyer 9h ago

Did they ever get a sLife of Pie?

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u/mcknight92 13h ago

Went out on the water a boy, came back a father 😂

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u/TheVirginVibes 13h ago

Has to keep it now

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u/AImustDiePoisonIt 13h ago

Lovely blokes❤️

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u/thedillymane 13h ago

Raccoon distribution system

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u/bleblahblee 13h ago

This is what humans are meant be with nature

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u/aventurero_soy_yo 13h ago

Is this not the start of a buddy comedy cartoon?

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u/Bubbly-Travel9563 12h ago

That little guy wanted cuddles so damn bad 😭 I rescued raccoons & when something awful happened or something that left them scared for their lives and you help them they act like a lost dog finding their owner after a year on the streets. They're exceptionally grateful and try to show it, when it laid as flat as possible before going for the boarders lap it was trying to show that it was being submissive and friendly like a dog fake sneezing while play fighting. Little buddy wanted to say thank you so bad!

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u/SirJ_96 9h ago

I'd cuddle.

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u/Ilovemytowm 1h ago

I currently have about eight baby raccoons in my backyard and they follow me like puppies I know I'm not supposed to feed them.. But  . I feed some Stray Cats and.... 💜 

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u/PoetryCalm6207 12h ago

He's so scared he's trying to use you to hide. He trust you.

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u/Biza_1970 13h ago

Animals know.

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u/ShouldersBBoulders 13h ago

The fact that man has testicles after inviting a raccoon down there is truly amazing!

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u/lisaloveseric 13h ago

Two awesome young men!

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u/ripyourlungsdave 12h ago

Come on, Ticket to Ride was right there.

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u/Inevitable-Dirt3375 13h ago

lol "raging floodwaters" aka "it's raining on town lake"

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u/Impending_Doom25 13h ago

I don't think that's flood waters. That looks like a river

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u/WertDafurk 12h ago

It’s Town Lake in Austin which is basically like a water wart on the Colorado river.

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u/Impending_Doom25 12h ago

I don't know much about Texas, I'm from Pennsylvania. But what I'm hearing is that's a lake, not a river and certainly not flood waters?

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u/taco-taco-taco- 11h ago

It is what people who live in Austin call the portion of the river that widens as it passes through the city. The water levels are controlled by two dams on opposite sides of the city but when the city's reservoirs (two lakes upstream) are filled as they are right now from heavy storms, the city has no choice but to open both dams. This results in heavy localized flooding. It is not recommended anyone is in the river right now last I heard.

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u/superyu7 11h ago

It's a pass-through lake, one dam on either end of it to make it seem like it's at a constant level. The water in the video we see coming into Town Lake is all the runoff from downtown Austin, it's nasty stuff but the lake isn't flooding.

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u/itsamemyusername 12h ago

Risking rabies is certainly one thing but risking rabies straight to the dick is in a league of its own. Good on you, sir.

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u/Historical-Theme5658 9h ago

why all these videos have cringe music?

i dont get it

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u/thelittleking 5h ago

the... beatles??

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u/jenandspaz 12h ago

Poor baby 😔

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u/Striking-Ad-6815 8h ago

While this is awesome, be very careful around desperate animals even if they're small

The guy did a phenomenal rescue, but notice how his buddy didn't want raccoon on his boat. This is due to what I just stated.

The paddleboard guy possibly made a friend for life

Not a good idea to encounter wild animals unless you are familiar with them

I saw a drunk guy who "Lived in the country all his life" and "Knew raccoons like the back of his hand."

He probably couldn't recognize the back of his hand after he grabbed the raccoon, I sure didn't

While this rescue was important, if the animal doesn't understand you're trying to help, you will have a bad time

Don't get me wrong, guy did something good, he just lucky

Had raccoon lacerated or maimed him, he is in the middle of flood waters. Treatment could be hours away if not longer

Good rescue, just worried it will influence the wrong sort of behavior

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u/crystalcastles13 12h ago

Poor little thing is so grateful and so conflicted.

Brave guys. Thank you for saving the little fella.

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u/Jesse_Livermore 12h ago

Rescued and stranded from what? The video doesn't show the raccoon in the water to begin with, all we see are 2 pb dudes with a raccoon already on a pb.

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u/BellaBPearl 9h ago

This vid has been edited from the original. In the original it shows the raccoon struggling to swim in some rougher water

https://i.imgur.com/H8eLRIR.jpeg

og vid

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u/Silvenx 8h ago

Thanks, now I'm crying. Poor thing.

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u/LPMc812 12h ago

I was in Austin Monday. When was this flood?

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u/Truth2Set_Me_Free 10h ago

One word… rabies. Be careful

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u/PiratesSayARRR 8h ago

This is town lake, these are not raging flood waters

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u/serenamarie6669 13h ago

Bless them

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u/Forever-Hopeful-2021 13h ago

The music! So good.