Lately there have been reports of racoons carrying viruses and making dogs sick.

I wasn't worried because there are very few racoons in my area and my dogs are vaccinated. The past week I have repeatedly seen a big one on my porch. My neighbor, who doesn't have any pets has had the same experience.

I brought in the dog food being stored outside and leave nothing out there at night, not even water. Last night the dogs began barking, inside, waking me up. When I looked outside, there he was. This racoon stayed about 5 feet away from me but showed no fear.

He just looked at me. I squirted him with water which made him back up a couple of feet. I yelled and waved my arms and he just stood there watching me. I went in and closed the door leaving the porch light on. Peeking out, I saw him scrounging for crumbs of dog food.

What should my next step be besides thoroughly sweeping the porch before going to bed?

Do you have an animal control agency through the county? If so, call them. They'll trap him and take him to a forest preserve or wooded area. Raccoons are nobody's fool and can be aggressive. Don't go hand-to-paw with him. We finally got rid of a 'coon family that roamed our neighborhood and savaged garbage cans. (The garbage-pickup company changed over to animal-proof cans, and no one leaves food out for stray cats any longer.)

Raccoons are ravenous eaters, and they aren't picky at all. They will eat anything, including bird seed and they also love to rumage through garbage. Is there any place inside you could feed the dogs so that dog food crumbs aren't on the porch? Raccoons make the rounds every night, returning to the same places they found food before. If you can make sure there is no food source outside your house the raccoon will eventually stop coming by your house looking for goodies.

Raccoons also love water, so squirting them with water won't chase them away. They are also very curious and usually not very afraid of people.

If you don't remove all food sources, chances are the raccoon will keep coming back and become more and more tolerant of your presence.

Good luck!

Animal control or your local park district would have the answers for you.Yes, raccoons can carry many types of illnesses,including rabies.

If a person is bitten or scratched by a raccoon, immediately scrub the wound with soap and water. Flush the wound liberally with tap water. In parts of the United States raccoons can carry rabies. Contact your physician and the local health department immediately. If your pet is bitten, follow the same cleansing procedure and contact your veterinarian.

Raccoons —Too Close for Comfort

If a raccoon ever approaches too closely, make yourself appear larger: stand up if sitting, shout, and wave your arms. If necessary, throw stones or send the raccoon off with a dousing of water from a hose or bucket.

If a raccoon continues to act aggressively or strangely (circling, staggering as if drunk or disoriented, or shows unnatural tameness) it may be sick or injured. In such a case, call a wildlife rehabilitator (see Wildlife Rehabilitators and Wildlife Rehabilitation).

If aggressive raccoons are routinely seen in your area, prepare your children for a possible encounter. Explain the reasons raccoons live there (habitat, food sources, species adaptability) and what they should do if one approaches them. By shouting a set phrase such as “Go away raccoon!” when they encounter one, instead of a general scream, children will inform nearby adults of the raccoon's presence. Demonstrate and rehearse encounter behavior with the children.

If a raccoon finds its way into your house, stay calm, close surrounding interior doors, leave the room, and let the animal find its way back out through the open door, window, or pet door. If necessary, gently use a broom to corral the raccoon outside. (Do not corner a raccoon, thereby forcing it to defend itself.)