A few weeks ago, I realized that new neighbours have moved in up the street. I was walking the dogs with Jesse as the sun was beginning to set, and as we crossed the street onto our block I looked up to find a racoon had locked eyes with me. He was on the roof of a house, next to a racoon sized hole that led to the attic. His head lowered and he sunk down close to the roof he was perched on, watching me closely.

I yelped, moved sideways so fast I almost knocked Jesse into the street, and completely disoriented the dogs.

Living in a city that has two rivers running through it, I've always heard a lot about raccoons- mostly that they come out at night and they're to be steered clear of- but I've also always thought that they're incredibly cute and misunderstood. Seeing that little masked face in person was alarming initially, but after I got past being startled and had assured myself that the racoon was not going to leap off the roof and onto my head? After that point I was curious. The racoon was just quiet and stared at me, moving its head slowly as the dogs and I passed by.

After the first sighting, it was official: they're here to stay! And more than that, they've become characters in my daily life.

In no time I had the family situation assessed: there was a lady racoon inside the house's attic, and her escort was sitting guard outside. In the morning they sit on the roof together, lapping water of the eavestrough. In the afternoon one of them sleeps on the corner of the roof under a shady tree's branches. In the early evening the gentleman racoon surveys the activity from the peak of the roof. As the weeks have passed they've been getting comfortable and relaxed, and when we go trundling by the house they barely blink.

Then last night I hit the jackpot of cute: the babies are starting to play outside!

So far it's always been too dark to get photos, but they're the size of this little guy and were tumbling around on the roof with each other while the mom and dad looked on. I'm going to plan our walks carefully for the next little while so we're not on the same side of the street in case the parents get protective, but it's been a sweet highlight in my day to see their little racoon family going about their business in their attic condo.

I'm glad that it's not my attic that they're living in, but I'm happy for our bandit neighbours. I think they'll only stay until the river goes down and then they'll be back to their normal lives, but in the mean time I hope they go undiscovered. For what it's worth, their secret is safe with me.

Edit: If you're having raccoon problems check out this great resource on humane ways to manage them and brush up on your facts! Special thanks to Jesse.Anne.O for the links.

{images: Berkley Illustration, Sharon Montrose, neonman}