Somerville Raccoon Launches Midnight Assault: Woman, Dogs, Compost Bin Collide

Somerville raccoon attacks at 1 a.m.: Massachusettsâ Katherine Vanbuskirk let out her dogs, Ruby and Blue, only to face a raccoon âflying at me from several different directions.â Top search queriesâcan raccoons attack humans, what happens if bittenâmeet precise chaos: the animal clawed her face, arms, and legs while her missing dog cowered behind the TV. âAll I could do was scream, âHelp me, help me,ââ she recounted.
Following her surreal animal ambush, Vanbuskirk smeared coyote urine across her garden to repel raccoons, fueling trending queries like âdo raccoons hate coyote urineâ and âhow to keep raccoons out of compost bins.â The scene: a homeowner, bloodied but defiant, hunts for Ruby as coyote-scented winds swirl, while a rabies shot and antibiotics become her daily routine. âI just encountered a monster,â she declared, now an accidental expert in nocturnal raccoon diplomacy.
Despite rabies shots and the worldâs most nervous dog, Vanbuskirkâs main advice: always double-check your compost bin, unless you want to star in a midnight wildlife thriller.