'Like a crazed Tasmanian devil': Vancouver woman and her dog mauled by raccoon
WARNING: This post contains graphic images.
Gina Chiarelli says she "never imagined a raccoon could be so aggressive."
The Vancouver resident said she was in her backyard on Saturday afternoon letting out her tiny Maltese dog Rocky when a raccoon "just came directly flying out at him and grabbed him by the head with his teeth."
In a panic, she grabbed Rocky by the collar.
"The raccoon was locked onto his head and wouldn't let go," she told As It Happens guest host Laura Lynch.
"So I was kind of trying to shake them both and hitting the raccoon. No success. And then I just started slamming both of them into the deck, trying to get the raccoon to fall off of him."
I thought, if I don't get away from this animal, he is going to kill me.- Gina Chiarelli
Finally, she said, the animal let go of her dog for a split second and Chiarelli lifted Rocky into the air.
"And that was when the raccoon just turned on me," she said. "Like, came at me, literally, like a crazed Tasmanian devil. Like, circling me, biting me, scratching me. And it didn't stop for 15 minutes."
She tried to flee, she said, but the critter clamped down on her leg and wouldn't let go.
"I was screaming in pain, screaming for help. Both of my neighbours on either side were on holiday, so nobody came," she said. "It was complete terror, madness and excruciating pain."
Eventually, she managed to knock the animal off her, scramble onto her deck and stumble through her back door. With Rocky in one hand, she slammed the door shut with the other.
"And the raccoon was racing toward the door," she said. "I have glass in my door, so I could see that he was like, racing up the steps. At that time, I mean, there was blood all over the deck. There was blood all over the kitchen floor."
She called 911 and went to hospital, where she received a tetanus shot and 10 stitches. In all, she said, she has 12 bite wounds and multiple scratches, bruises and lacerations on both legs and thighs.
Her dog, she said, suffered minor bites and scratches.
"If I had been a child, that child would be dead for sure," she said. "There are lots of children in this neighbourhood."
Doctors told her she didn't need a rabies shot because the province hasn't had a documented case of rabies in raccoons for more than 20 years.
"I never imagined that it could happen so fast, without provocation, and that it could be so relentless in its attack on me," she said.
- AS IT HAPPENS: Rabid raccoon attacks jogger, so she drowns it
Randy Celinski of AAA Wildlife Control told CBC News that raccoon attacks are extremely rare and the animals don't usually attack without provocation.
He recommends people raccoon-proof their decks, so the animals can't hide there, as one did in Chiarelli's backyard.
The few cases of raccoon attacks he's seen have involved pet dogs, he said, so he ventured it's possible Rocky startled the raccoon.
It has been a really traumatizing experience. I almost can't believe it happened.- Gina Chiarelli
"The animal's clearly feeling threatened or cornered. This time of year, there could very well be babies, so it could be a mother with babies," he said. "So she can definitely feel extra threatened by the presence of a dog."
It's also possible, he said, that the animal was sick with something other than rabies. But he can't be sure because animal control officers never found the racoon that attacked Chiarelli.
But whatever the reason, Chiarelli wants to get the word out to people to be careful.
"It has been a really traumatizing experience. I almost can't believe it happened," she said. "I thought he was going to kill me. I thought, if I don't get away from this animal, he is going to kill me."
With files from Tamara Rahmani