In the Doghouse

We live on about an acre in a wooded part of town. When we first moved here, we were in the country. We had quail in our back yard. Over the last 35 years, town has grown up around us. Wildlife has suffered from loss of habitat. I've always enjoyed the critters who wandered into the yard -- the ugly 'possum we named Ol' Roy and his daintier partner, even the mother skunk with the two babies who visited summer before last. But our latest visitor is on my last nerve. It's a precious little raccoon. Roxie has taken an extreme dislike to this little interloper and is determined to put an end to the invasion. I saw the raccoon in the yard last week, then heard a loud crash. Yep, Rox had spotted Rocky Raccoon and tried to go through one of the panes in the front bay window. The glass man came yesterday and quoted us a price of $125 to replace the pane and said he'd come back tomorrow afternoon. The raccoon returned this afternoon. You got it. Rox did it again. Perhaps we'll get a deal on the second pane. There are 30 panes in the bay window so Rox has 28 to go. Realistically, she can probably only reach the bottom 12 panes -- but she can always do the same ones over again. We now have the baby gate up so she can't get into the living room. I may have to buy another baby gate to go over the low window in my office -- she knocked that one out year before last. I love the decor -- vintage prison!!!!!!