Mona the raccoon: She's a 1st for Thunder Bay, Ont., dog rescue group

Rebbeca Esteyruns a dog rescue in Thunder Bay, Ont.,and gets calls from people about all kids of animals, such as skunks, hawks, and even ground hogs. But earlier this summer, she got her first call about a raccoon.

"Things have a tendency to show up at my door," said Estey.

In June, Esteyreceiveda call about a pair of baby raccoons on nearby Fort William First Nation. Despite not having any experience fostering raccoons, Estey took on the challenge.

"I just couldn't say no... what was I going to do, leave it to die in a ditch?"

The people who called Estey told her that they had been keeping an eye on the kits, since their mother hadn't come back for some time.

Estey agreed to take in both kits, but before she could pick them up, one of them washit by a car and died.

When she first started caring for Mona, her eyes were open, but shewas very dehydrated and hungry, said Estey who proceeded to feed the infant mammal puppy formula from a bottle.

"She's very much like a baby... I was bottle feeding her, like a baby, every three to four hours. I would take her with me when I went out," explained Estey, who would bring a "raccoon diaper bag" with her. But instead of diapers,it was full of blankets and puppy formula.

She also had Mona vaccinated for rabies and distemper, and built her a special four foot by sixfoot enclosure, complete with branches for climbing, and a silver bucket that Mona 'loves'to play in. There's also a little pool, and a basket with blankets for her to sleep in.

As for Mona's personality, "she's a little trouble maker" says Estey. Mona has been known to go into people's pockets and steal their change, ortheir lip balm.

Time for Mona to move on

But now Estey says it's time for Mona to move on.

"It's time for her to learn to be a raccoon, and be around raccoons," said Estey, who has eight dogs of her own.

"It's a bittersweet thing," she said, but "it's like anything else, even with rescue dogs. It's time to move on. You love them and you feel for them, but there's a good home out there for them."

That home will not be in northwestern Ontario, said Esteywhois frustrated bythe lack of wildlife rehabilitation centres in the region.

"There's nothing here for wildlife rescue. I get all kinds of calls, there's no rehab anywhere here. These poor animals are all on their own," she said.

Estey plans to send Mona to a wildlife rehabilitation centre in Lively, Ont., and has set up a fundraiser on her Thunder Dog Rescue Facebook page to cover the costs of Mona's flight.