Trackers Edge

06/01/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/18taffkNAu/?mibextid=wwXIfr

06/01/2026

I WASN’T TEARING UP YOUR ROOF.
YOU SEALED MY BABIES INSIDE.

You heard scratching at the soffit.

A masked face near the gutter.
Claws on the siding.
Insulation pulled toward the hole you had just repaired.

Maybe you thought I was stubborn.

Maybe you thought I wanted to destroy your house.
Maybe you thought the problem was fixed when the vent was sealed.

But listen.

I was not trying to get into your attic.

I was trying to get back to my babies.

I am a raccoon mother.

Behind that board, that mesh, that repaired vent, there may still be small bodies curled in the dark.

Blind.
Hungry.
Calling.

They cannot climb out with me yet.
They cannot understand repairs.
They cannot follow the smell of night through a wall that humans closed.

So I scratch.

Not because I am evil.
Not because I want your home.

Because every sound behind that wall is my whole world.

Please do not trap me and seal the hole.
Please do not block the entry before checking for young.
Please do not use poison, smoke, or panic.

Keep pets and children away.
Call a humane wildlife professional, animal control, or a licensed wildlife rehabilitator.

If you already sealed the entry and hear babies crying or scratching inside, treat it as urgent.

After the family is gone, then seal the opening properly.

But not while my babies are still behind it.

I was not breaking into your home.

I was trying to reach the lives
you could not hear clearly enough.

Raccoons commonly use attics, crawlspaces, chimneys, and other human structures as den sites, especially mothers raising young. Humane guidance recommends confirming that no young are inside before eviction or sealing, and leaving one-way doors or exclusion work to humane professionals when babies may be present.

05/30/2026

News Release: 𝐁𝐢𝐠 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐛𝐢𝐠 𝐝𝐨𝐠𝐬: 𝐒𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐟 𝐨𝐟𝐟 𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐬

The promotion lasts for two days, starting May 29 and ending May 30.

THUNDER BAY — The local animal shelter is hoping a special promotion will help some of its biggest residents finally find loving homes.

For two days, May 29 and 30, the Northwest Animal Centre is offering 50 per cent off adoption fees for large dogs in an effort to encourage more adoptions and free up space for other animals in need.

“Statistically, larger dogs are a lot more difficult to adopt out,” said Stephanie Folino, community engagement coordinator for the shelter. “We’re hoping this event helps promote them and helps them find their forever homes.”

The promotion applies to five dogs currently in the shelter’s care: Smokey, Timber, Lucia, Shady and Brigade.

Among them is Shady, one of the shelter’s longer-term residents.

“He was just returned from a trial adoption because he wasn’t a fan of the other dog in the home,” Folino said. “He’s a really special boy, really loving. He just needs that special person to help him feel more comfortable and confident.”

Another dog, Timber, weighs in at approximately 165 pounds, something Folino admits can make finding a suitable home more challenging.

“He’s a Maremma mix and he’s the sweetest thing possible,” she said. “But size-wise, it’s a little bit more of an obstacle to find a home for him.”

With the promotion, adoption fees for qualifying dogs are reduced to $225. The fee includes spaying or neutering, vaccinations, microchipping, deworming and a starter package from Pet Valu.

“They come fully loaded, like we say,” Folino added with a laugh.

The shelter currently has 56 animals in its care, including 20 dogs, with roughly 30 per cent of those animals currently placed in foster homes.

Shelter staff say capacity remains an ongoing concern as requests for surrenders and stray intakes continue to rise.

“By getting these dogs adopted, it helps us be able to help other animals that are in need,” Folino said.

For more information, or to adopt a dog, call Ontario SPCA and Humane Society Northwest Animal Centre at (807) 475-8803.

05/30/2026

05/30/2026

**I WASN’T LEFT BEHIND BY MY MOTHER.**
**I FELL THROUGH A ROAD SHE COULD NOT FOLLOW.**

You heard me before you saw me.

A tiny sound under the street.

Peep.
Peep.
Peep.

Maybe you looked down and saw only a storm drain.

Metal bars.
Dark water.
A hole in the road.

But below it, I was trying to keep up.

I am a mallard duckling.

I had only just learned my mother’s voice.
I had only just learned to follow the warm body in front of me.
I did not understand grates.
I did not understand streets.
I did not know the ground could open beneath my feet.

My mother could walk over the drain.

I could not.

My body slipped between the bars.

Then the world changed.

Her feet were above me.
Her voice was above me.
My brothers and sisters were moving away without me.

And I was below the road, calling from a place too deep for my legs and too dark for my mother to enter.

Please do not assume I was abandoned.

Look for my mother nearby.
Keep dogs and people back.
Do not climb into the drain yourself.
Do not pour anything inside.
Call animal control, local wildlife rescue, the fire department, or the non-emergency police line.

If I am rescued and my mother is still close, I may be able to rejoin her.
If I am cold, injured, wet, weak, or she is gone, I need licensed wildlife help.

I was not lost.

I was following my mother across a road that was built with holes small enough for me to disappear.

**Reality check:** Mallard and other dabbling duck broods often leave the nest soon after hatching and follow the mother toward water. Ducklings can fall through storm-drain grates, and U.S. rescues often involve animal control, firefighters, zoo staff, or wildlife responders lifting grates and reuniting ducklings with the mother when safe. Injured or weakened waterfowl should be kept warm, dark, and quiet while professional help is contacted.

**Sources:** U.S. Geological Survey — duckling nest departure study; Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium — ducklings rescued from storm drain; Tufts Wildlife Clinic — sick or injured waterfowl guidance.

05/30/2026

I WASN’T SWIMMING IN YOUR POOL.
I WAS CIRCLING A WALL I COULD NOT CLIMB.

You saw me near the blue water.

Small.
Dark.
Moving slowly along the edge.

Maybe you thought I liked it there.

Maybe you thought I had chosen your pool like it was a pond.
Maybe you waited for me to “find my way out.”

But I was not swimming.

I was trapped.

I am a toad.

My body is made for damp grass, garden soil, leaves, night air, and insects under porch lights.

Not smooth tile.
Not chlorine.
Not a deep blue wall with no root, rock, mud, or branch to hold.

I kept circling because every wild body searches for an edge that makes sense.

But your pool had no shore.

The water touched my skin.
The chemicals touched my skin.
My strength ran out one circle at a time.

Please do not leave me for morning.

Use a pool net, bucket, or container to lift me out gently.
Place me in a shaded, damp spot away from the pool.
Check the skimmer basket before turning the pump on.

And please give the next small life a way out.

A floating escape ramp.
A rough board.
A rope along the edge.
A pool cover when the pool is not in use.

Because I was not enjoying your backyard.

I was drowning quietly
beside a wall that looked like water
but had no way back to land.

Backyard pools can be deadly for wildlife because animals may fall in or mistake them for natural water, then be unable to climb out over steep, smooth sides. Humane World recommends escape devices such as FrogLog or Skamper-Ramp, and PETA also suggests ramps, ropes near the waterline, pool covers, and fencing to reduce drownings.

05/30/2026