The Dogs - and Raccoon - of Old Town Alexandria

You usually don’t see raccoons during the daylight hours. When we lived in the Midwest we had a close encounter with one. It decided to take the bait for another critter and ended up in a trap - and was promptly released as soon as we learned about it. That’s another story! When we drove to Old Town Alexandria for a morning walk, we took the side streets over the waterfront because it was very cold but even more windy. Along the way we started to see pooches. The first one was at the window of the first floor that was at sidewalk level and a small dog walking passed it stopped by for a greeting. I thought about taking a photo but didn’t. I should have because it was becoming more and more common and fun to observe. Because the houses are right on the sidewalk you tend to notice the pooches because they are literally at eye level and one foot away. Continuing down the street we came upon a grey pooch who was inquisitive but only for so long until he started barking. Then there was the very hostile black and white small husky looking critter that was quite nasty. I’m glad he was behind the glass. Our favorites were the very lazy what I think were huskies lolling about on the sidewalk next to their house. They couldn’t be bothered. But what was most interesting was when my husband said he just saw a raccoon heading towards the drain on a very busy street mid morning. I didn’t see him. But within minutes the raccoon decided to leave that area and cross the street to the other side. For whatever reason I couldn’t get my camera ready in time. But at the last second I snapped an image of his back leg and tail heading in to the drain next to a parked car. The last thing I would want is to get bitten by a rabid raccoon. Why else would he be out in the middle of the day?