Raccoons are smart.

[Dailypix]

I believe they can sense the electricity when they get close. We have a large portable enclosure that was put in to deter bears from our bees. (Put in after we lost everything last year when a hungry bear destroyed our two hives and killed the queens). The bears can sense when the current is on and stay away. I suspect the raccoons are the same.
Last night they came back twice but after sniffing around the wire they left. I hope that is the end of it but I will have to make sure the grass is kept cut so as not to short out the wires. Also the charger does make a fairly loud "click" every second or two when it energizes the wire. If I can hear it certainly they can too.

 

[Dailypix]

So you're pretty close to that big fire Parry Sound 33?

Thank goodness no we are many miles south-east of it. There is a total fire ban on here because of the dryness. We can sometimes smell the smoke and there is often a gray haze in the air but we are all safe. My prayers go out to the folks who were directly affected. I hope the rain yesterday put a dent in it.

 

[llombardo]

2am I awoke to very loud bickering. Never jumped up so fast in my life. Grabbed the dogs and out we went. My German Shepherd ran right to the trees, to many branches for me to see, but it was 3-4 up there. Next I went and checked on the chickens/ducks. All was good. I had found a couple areas on the hardware cloth that was not as secure as I liked. Worked on it for a couple hours, everytime I was ready to give up, I thought about the raccoons and finished it.

The german shepherd stayed outside last night(there is a screen and he can come and go). He pretty much stayed along the tree line all night. I think I'm going to leave my female GSD out when I go to work. She can have the day shift and the male has the night shift.

 

[lazy gardener]

@BennieAnTheJets I love your set up. Nicely done. good pics.

 

[BennieAnTheJets]

Thanks, lazy gardener! Always nice to get a compliment to cheer you up from not so nice events in life

I think the click sound does it - it makes critters shy away from the e-fence when it is on - I can hit two stones together (which makes a similar sound) and our horses will get nervous and look up - they think it is the electric fence, which they remember well

 

[llombardo]

Well guess who is lurking again? My female german shepherd keeps finding them. Nose in the air and on the ground. When I opened the gate, she wanted to go. I heard it as it was moving away, but if I can hear it, it's to close. So I'm out side cutting more branches down at 11pm. I also lined the fence with the rose bush. Nice and thorny if they get any ideas to come over.

 

[Kfults]

Truth or consequences: "Now, Sammy... Listen to me. Don't touch that or you're gonna get hurt!" What's the next thing Sammy does when Mommy is not looking... or even if she is!

Telling my young son not to do something was like a dare..... then if he got hurt.... he did it a second time to be sure it wasn’t a fluke! So thankful I managed to raise him to 22 alive!

 

[lazy gardener]

My son was strong willed and a limit tester. I once caught him jumping head first off the front step onto a cement walk way, with a plastic helmet on his head. His reasoning for such behavior: "The helmet will protect my head." He was defiant to the point of violence when he got frustrated. There were numerous holes that he had punched in his wall, and he also took a knife to his wall/ceiling. When he went away on his first mission trip at the age of 15, I took that summer and repaired all the damage, repainted, put down new carpet, so he came home to a new room. He is now a full time youth pastor, and often fills in for our senior pastor, has become a son to be truly proud of. All things are possible with God.

 

[llombardo]

My son is now grown, but at the age of 26 he gets freaked out by the chickens. I used him as a test buddy with the boy. I told him stand behind me, so if he attacks I can stop him. My sons face was priceless. There was no Attack and no one was injured in this test.

I will say that they are cautious around strangers. The lawn mower belt came off next to the pen and they came over and watched my son fix it. After studying him for a minute they were ok with him.