Full transcript
0:00He chased the puppy around the yard as
0:02if he were a dog himself. His tail was
0:05wagging, his eyes were shining, and he
0:07was squealing with delight. I watched
0:10this and thought, "Well, he's definitely
0:13forgotten that he's a raccoon. Or maybe
0:16he never knew."
0:19Diddles came into our lives by accident.
0:22My son Trey and his girlfriend were
0:24driving down the highway when they saw
0:26something dark and furry on the side of
0:28the road. It was barely moving.
0:31When they got closer, they realized it
0:33was a raccoon covered in porcupine
0:36quills. Its eyes were closed and it had
0:39wounds on its sides.
0:42But as soon as Trey reached out to him,
0:44Diddles lifted his little paws and began
0:47to chirp. It was as if he understood,
0:50"Here they are, my rescuers.
0:58They wrapped him in a jacket, took him
1:00out of town, and handed him over to a
1:02rescue center. His recovery took a long
1:05time. The wounds took a long time to
1:08heal. But the most amazing thing was how
1:10quickly he opened up to people. After
1:13just a couple of weeks, he was rolling
1:15over, letting us scratch behind his
1:17ears, and looking into our eyes as if to
1:20ask, "You're not going to leave, are
1:22you?
1:25[Music]
1:28We took him home when he was able to eat
1:30and move around on his own. He wouldn't
1:32have survived in the wild. He had become
1:35too trusting.
1:40So, we decided to let him live with us.
1:43We would give him everything we could.
1:50More than a year has passed since then,
1:53and every day I am amazed at how unusual
1:56he is. Not only because he is smart,
2:00although he really can open the
2:02refrigerator, get food, and even
2:04sometimes treat our dogs, but because he
2:08has become a real member of the family,
2:10he has become especially close to our
2:12dog named Cinnamon. They sleep together,
2:15play together, and sometimes he takes
2:18her paw and just holds it as if he had
2:20been missing this his whole childhood.
2:24[Music]
2:26He has become friends with all of our
2:28dogs. But Cinnamon is special. When she
2:31enters the room, his eyes light up. He
2:34runs to her, squeals, grabs her ears,
2:36wrestles, climbs on top of her as if she
2:39were not a dog, but his older sister.
2:42[Music]
2:46Sometimes I look at them and think, "We
2:48didn't just save a raccoon. We took in a
2:51puppy. Only a fluffy one with humanlike
2:54paws and the personality of a circus
2:56performer. He can be capricious. He can
2:59be mischievous.
3:02For example, once he threw 77 pingpong
3:05balls into the toilet. I'm not kidding.
3:08And for some reason, he likes to throw
3:11bath bombs into the toilet. We still
3:13don't know why, but we laugh every time.
3:22Diddles lives freely. He is not locked
3:24up. He walks around the house, goes
3:26outside, and walks in the yard. We
3:28understand that he is not a normal
3:30animal, but he is already ours. He is
3:33there when we cook, when we have
3:35breakfast, when we watch TV.
3:41He sits on the sofa, touches my hair
3:43with his paw, puts his muzzle on my lap,
3:46and when I'm in a bad mood, he just sits
3:49quietly next to me without words, just
3:52being there.
3:58He will soon be 2 years old. He is still
4:01as active and curious as ever. I don't
4:04know how long he will live or what the
4:06future holds for us,
4:09but I know for sure that he has become
4:13part of our family. And now that the
4:16children have gone to university, he is
4:18the one I spend the most time with.
4:22[Music]
4:27Every day with him is like a separate
4:29story. funny, touching, strange, but
4:33very real. And I am grateful that we
4:37have him.
4:41If you like this story about Diddles,
4:44like it, write comments, and subscribe
4:46to the channel to see more touching
4:48stories. Before bringing an exotic pet
4:50into your home, be sure to consult with
4:53experts and learn about their specific
4:55needs. Proper research is the key to
4:57giving them the happy, healthy life they
5:00truly deserve.