Woman's 'pet raccoon dog'

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3208084/He-striped-face-spiky-fur-ISN-T-wild-animal-meet-Bandit-pet-raccoon-DOG.html

So many things about this annoy me. First of all, it is not a domesticated animal and shouldn't be kept as such. It is also not a dog. How on Earth does this lady expect to take care of an animal when she doesn't even know what species it is?

Everything about this animal screams 'Not Domestic'. It's nocturnal, requires specific and hard-to-get veterinary care, and needs a lot of wild environmental enrichment to keep it healthy. Granted, an animal's circadian rhythm can be slightly adjusted to better fit the owner's needs, but not to this extent.

Not to mention that the more popular these animals get in the UK, the greater the chance of them being released into the wild, where they could destroy parts of the ecosystem. The RSPCA already pick up raccoon dogs from the UK after escapes.

The fact that the animal is obsessively picking up and ingesting random objects on his walks also suggests to me that he's severely lacking in environmental enrichment. I'm sure this lady loves him, but he is not a domesticated animal.

Agree entirely

Terrible in all sorts of ways!

Oh for ****'s sake!!!!!!!!!!!
These people only have these animals for the attention they get not because of any special love or care.

Does make you wonder why she decided to go to the media about it. She placed a comment on the bottom of the page, saying that she's one of many 'responsible' owners of tanukis. And yet she hasn't realised her 'pet' isn't a dog.