A year ago, Bahamas resident Rosie Kemp stumbled upon, of all things, a baby raccoon that had seemingly met its fate by falling out of a tree. Kemp stuck around and waited for the mother to come for her cub, but couldn't find the mother anywhere.
Laura Young, Kemp's daughter, went on to adopt the raccoon. They called the little bandit "Pumpkin."
Pumpkin was feeble due to a broken hind leg. Young fed Pumpkin every couple of hours, looked after her 24/7 and made sure she was warm. Pumpkin soon recovered from her injuries and settled in with Young, her husband and their two rescue dogs.
Here is a photo of baby Pumpkin, who was a month old when she was found.
Young says Pumpkin "instantly bonded" with the family and their dogs, and accompanies them everywhere they go. Pumpkin believes she is a dog as she is able to play with the two Royal Bahamian Potcake rescues.
This special bond also happens to be an adorable one.
She just cannot get enough of her siblings.
Pumpkin, as you can see, is one of the dogs.
Pumpkin's everyday life is chronicled in her Instagram account. As of posting, Pumpkin has around 300 posts and more than 60 thousand followers. This just might put Pumpkin in the running for American's most famous raccoon. Either way, it already seems that she has already bagged the "most loved raccoon" category. But that doesn't mean raising a raccoon has been a piece of cake for Young and her family. This little bundle of joy often lives up to her bandit face.
"Raccoons are NOT pets," Young explained. "They are wild animals, so they are quite moody. Unlike dogs and cats, they are not domesticated," Young said.
Raccoons are wild animals and belong in the wild. However, since Pumpkin was not able to have that kind of life, Young and her family are committed to ensuring she receives all that she needs to thrive.
Pumpkin seems happy with her life. Young said Pumpkin loves air conditioning, sunny-side up eggs and watermelon. The 3-year-old raccoon has recently learned to use the toilet.
Young says that although they feel fortunate to have Pumpkin, they will always do what is best for her.
Check out the articles below for more critter chronicles.
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