Families can come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. As long as there is love and joy, it does not matter who is a part of that family. This was something this woman and her dog took to heart when they adopted a baby raccoon.
When Mama Kate first heard about the baby raccoon, Eto, it was from a friend who found him inside of her tire. He had been without his mom for a few days and was starving.
“He was so underweight,” said Mama Kate. “I honestly didn’t know if he was going to make it.” Still, Mama Kate did everything she could to give Eto a fighting chance, and slowly he began to recover.
By the third day, Eto was “a completely different kit.” Since he was no longer at death’s door, Mama Kate let the raccoon baby wander outside. It was at that moment that Eto realized he could trust Mama Kate.
Mama Kate’s dog, Ashlyn, was just a maternal figure for the baby raccoon. She watched over the baby and stood guard when they took the little guy fishing and swimming.
But gradually, Ashlyn also became best friends with the little raccoon. “The minute [Ashlyn’s] not in mom mode, she’s spun,” said Mama Kate. “She does know when it’s time to play, when it’s time to work.”
As Eto grew, Mama Kate and Ashlyn created an open door policy where the growing raccoon could come and go as he pleased. “Their relationship was growth for both of them,” said Mama Kate.
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