Rosie

THE STORY OF "MY ROSIE"

On Mother's Day, May 12th, 2002, a tiny 6inch creature found her way into my life and heart. Found on a rainy day in the Florida Keys, the baby was with a dead sibling, her umbilical cord still attached, eyes tightly shut and ears lying closed on her head. Wet, cold and hungry, she was brought to me by my then husband. I knew immediately she was a raccoon baby by her trilling sound, the rings on her tail and the dark skin around her eyes. I held her to warm her, concocted a mixture of ingredients that I remembered from the farm and fed the baby with a syringe. She drank enough to be warm and fed and fell asleep. My mothering instinct was in full gear as I got the correct formula from the pet store, prepared a regular baby bottle with a full baby nipple and fed the little one 6 times a day (and night) for weeks. She grew at an alarming rate and at last opened her ears and eyes. Her name was Rosie.

She grew and brought so much fun and laughter into the house as she played with our small dog, got into all the lower cabinets, loved to play in the bath tub. But, she still liked to cuddle with her adopted "mom", me. When Rosie was about 10 weeks old, she looked at me and she and I shared a "moment" where she looked "into my soul" with her dark, wonderful eyes. From then on out, I felt a special bond with this raccoon. I took her bites and scratches in stride, knowing she was not only "my raccoon", she was a wild animal, and I respected that.

By April of 2003, Rosie was overweight, going through her first heat and was more than I could handle. I had hoped she would remain with me as a friend, but knew that it was past time she be set free to live her life as she was meant too. I called a local rehabber who later became my best friend, and took Rosie to her. Rosie joined many other adult and young raccoons in a "kennel" of sorts for many months as she learned the raccoon language, manners and ways of a raccoon from the others.

In October of 2004, Rosie was released with several other of the now wild raccoons. I was glad to be at her release and watch her walk away to a lake side and look around her. I watched her for as long as I could, but soon lost her in the high grass. I said a prayer for her safety, and went home, knowing this small raccoon had changed my life forever.

I now have my own small wildlife rehab center set up in my backyard. Each animal that comes to me is loved and cared for as best I can. Each creature that comes my way shares it's soul with me, as Rosie once did many days ago.