I watch these silly videos online or on TV where naïve people are oohing and aaaahing over how adorable raccoons are, and all I can think of is, they need raccoon removal immediately!  We had to have Salt Lake raccoon removal services out at our cabin this spring, and those “adorable” animals cost us a lot of money in property damage and personal property destruction.  I was just glad we could get a service to do Salt Lake raccoon removal for us, instead of trying to trap raccoons or remove raccoons on our own.  Cleaning up the mess they left was bad enough.

We’d packed up for a long weekend out at our small cabin, made the two hour drive and arrived there in enough time to set up the grill and cook up some steaks for our dinner.  We pulled up, and my husband immediately started preparing the outdoor grill, while I unloaded coolers and duffel bags from the back.  It was our normal routine, and we were very much looking forward to a relaxing weekend.  I walked up to the front door, got it open, took one step inside and gasped.  It was trashed.  My husband came running in after me, and we just stood there, stupidly gazing around at the damage.  At first, I thought someone had broken in to our tiny, two-room cabin, but I couldn’t think of any reason why they would.  There were bigger cabins down the road a ways, and we had absolutely nothing of value in there.  But, as I looked closer, I realized I was looking at damage done by a wild animal.  Several wild animals, probably.

Our mattress was shredded.  The cans of food we’d stored in the kitchen area were scattered all over the floor, cabinets wide open.  There was a cat-sized gaping hole where I could look right through the wall out to the trees outside.  Furnishings were gnawed on and scratched up.  We spotted raccoon droppings all over the floor.

I let out my breath.  I hadn’t realized I’d been holding it ever since my initial reaction.  Words could not describe how angry and disappointed I felt, all at the same time.  “There goes the weekend,” my husband muttered angrily, mirroring my thoughts exactly.

As if that weren’t bad enough, a growl came from under the bed.  We high-tailed it out of there and got Salt Lake raccoon removal out to the property as fast as they could come.  They ended up removing a raccoon and three raccoon babies out from under the bed, and they even cleaned up the raccoon droppings and helped us temporarily seal up the gaping hole, with promises of full repair within the week.  We then set to work hauling out everything that was damaged or contaminated beyond repair, and making a list of items we needed to replace.  It was a long and disheartening weekend.

So, no, I don’t think raccoons are cute or adorable little rascals.  I think they’re mean, aggressive and very destructive.  You won’t catch me taking sweet little videos of raccoons and sharing them on the internet!