‘It was monstrous’: Woman attacked by raccoon while letting dogs out for walk
By John Atwater
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SOMERVILLE, Massachusetts (WCVB) — A Somerville woman says she was attacked by a raccoon over the weekend while letting her dogs out in a community yard.
Katharine VanBuskirk says the yard on Chester Street has become an oasis for wildlife, like different species of birds. However, early Saturday morning, an unwanted visitor attacked.
“Opened the door and then kapow!” VanBuskirk said. “That’s a bite. Basically tried to climb me. It came at me from every direction. It was a horrible experience.”
The raccoon scratched VanBuskirk’s face, clawed her arms, and tore up her legs, biting and hissing in an aggressive, relentless and painful attack.
“It was monstrous,” VanBuskirk said. “It’s that endless coming back at me that felt monstrous.”
She thinks the raccoon was after a compost bin, which she has now moved from the yard out to the street.
“When it raced up from here, I pushed it down really hard, and I was able to get inside,” VanBuskirk said.
She fought the raccoon off, even with her arm in a sling from a recent shoulder surgery. Now, VanBuskirk is trying to warn others who frequent the area to be on the lookout.
“I do not want any young mother walking her baby and dog and have this happen on the bike path,” VanBuskirk said.
She spent hours in the hospital following the attack and is receiving a series of rabies shots. She is expected to be OK.
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