Fish OR Swim My Ass!

Some idiot told me that raccoons with either FISH or SWIM, but won't do BOTH at the same time.

BULLSHIT.

I took J to Costanoa for his 43rd birthday...just one night to get away from the house, my mom, etcetera, and we come home last night to find that the stinkin' raccoons ATE 3 of my 9 fish. I had 8 red and 1 black: it's a feng shui thing, the weird number. The black fish was my favorite. He was about 4" long and very friendly. I called him my "little shadow". All of them were friendly, in fact. You could stick your hand into the water and they'd rub up against your wrist, fearless. I bought most of them last summer to "feng shui" my pond.

So late last night we come home and a neighbor came out to greet us as we were unpacking the wagon. He said my mom had come over in a fit and said some animal had gotten into the pond. Six of the bricks that line the pond had fallen into the water. They couldn't tell how many were gone. They put the bricks right and couldn't get the pumps to work so they left it as it was.

The two fish food containers were opened and fish food was sprayed all over the patio.

We hosed down the patio and cleaned up everything last night at 10:30 when we came home but as it was dark we couldn't see how many fish were missing. The water was still murky from the filters being off. About 3" of water was missing from the pond, and I remember filling the pond just a week or so ago. Water doesn't evaporate THAT fast in our pond.

This morning I can tell, so far, that two of my red fish, and my favorite black one, are gone. The others are huddled together on the bottom of the pond and won't come up to feed. No shit. The little buggers are scared to death. I don't blame them.

I'm kind of pissed that we left for the weekend. I always wake up with the raccoons show up and I shoo them off before they can get to the fish. The one night we leave, they show up. Damn. Yeah, they're fish. But they were pets to me. They make me smile each morning when I walk out the front door and see their cheery little faces swishing around near the surface in anticipation of being fed.

Poor little fish. I feel so bad.

Whoever it was that told me that raccoons with either "fish" (ie, hunt) or "swim" but never do both at the same time was whacked in the head.

"Go take a look at my pond and then go bury your head in the sand a little deeper."

My fish hate you.

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UPDATE: My *favorite* black fish was spotted swimming in the pond this afternoon! Yay! The largest one is missing a few scales so I hope that s/he doesn't get an infection and get sick. Fingers crossed.