be very careful!! i just saw a raccoon on franklin ave.

I just saw the little guy. He came out from the pit, looked at the nice folk walking by and went back home to the pit. This happened about 7pm. Be careful people.

Or... what, exactly?

City slickers

raccoons are one of my biggest fears. Seriously terrifying creatures. Yuck.

Damn gentrifiers!

But they're so cute! You sure you don't mean possums?

http://www.fuckedinparkslope.com/home/attack-of-the-raccoons.html

Raccoons are one of the known vectors for rabies in the city, the other major one being bats. You will want to make sure that your dog is vaccinated against rabies and that you seek immediate medical attention if you are bitten by a raccoon and immediate veterinary attention if your pet is bitten by a raccoon, or plays with a dead or injured raccoon or bat.

I agree with eastblock - you guys crack me up. A raccoon isn't even going to approach you so there is no reason to fear them. Raccoons live harmoniously with people (and their outside animals) throughout the states. I think that there was only a single reported case of a rabid raccoon in in NYC in February of 2011 so far this year thanks to the massive trap-vaccinate-release program conducted from February to April 2010. Definitely be more worried about bats with rabies than raccoons. But your animals that go outside should always be kept up to date with rabies vaccines - that goes without saying.