The Thackers feed 10-30 raccoons at their Lakewood home daily

Shortly after moving into their Lakewood home almost 25 years ago, Carrie and Richard Thacker discovered just how wild East Dallas can be.   

Wild, as in wildlife, that is.

Their property is on a peninsula, surrounded on three sides by a creek and forest, so it’s no surprise that opossums, rabbits, armadillos, skunks, turtles and snakes have made appearances. Even the occasional coyote or bobcat has stopped by. But the life of the party, they soon found, was the raccoon.   

Make that plural: raccoons. Up to 30 at a time.  

Fortunately, the Thackers clearly love the critters.

It all began with Danielle, the first raccoon they encountered and soon named. She was an older female, probably 8 or 9 years old, with a withered left front leg.

“When she saw me, she stood straight up, left her group, and came directly across the yard and sat down in front of me a scant 3 feet away,” Richard recalls. “No fear whatsoever, as if we had known each other forever. The feeling was mutual, a feeling of joy very hard to describe. The connection was instant and I can still feel it now.”

He fed her a big piece of Sock It To Me Cake. “From that day on I couldn’t wait to see her in the evening to give her cake. I guess I was trained at that point,” he laughs.

Yes, the Thackers are well aware of the naysayers, those who believe wildlife should never be fed by or interact with humans. But they point out that they’ve never had any problems — such as damage to property — with any of the wildlife. And they’ve never been attacked or bitten. The only aggressive behavior they’ve seen is between males during mating season.

Over the years, they have educated themselves about raccoons and believe they have a healthy system in place to prevent the spread of disease among the groups — for example, scattering kibble over a large area to keep the little guys from congregating and infecting one another. 

Most of all, they feel they owe it to the raccoons to provide some food and the occasional treat.

“We humans have taken over their habitat and they are just trying to survive, so we want to help them as much as we can,” Carrie says.

The Thackers have embraced the raccoons and made them part of their routine. Most days, they spread out dry kibble and draw a good crowd, anywhere from 10 or so in the winter to groups of more than 30 in spring and summer. Their favorite activity is what they refer to as “Cookie Time.”

“The process is simple, with Richard or I sitting in an outside chair while the raccoons gather around and present themselves in fairly good order,” Carrie says. “They  literally get in a line to get their cookie, and they either open their mouth so you can put the cookie in it or they just gently take it in their hands.”

Cookie Time revealed an amusing fact to the couple: raccoons have a wide range of table manners.   

“Some will gingerly take the tip edge of the cookie with their teeth; others chop down on the whole thing and then retreat to eat their prize in private,” Carrie laughs. “Others will use one or two paws to grasp the cookie and knock it to the ground and then pick it up. Some are picky and will take the treat and then drop it to their side while maintaining eye contact so they can get something more to their liking.”

There is even one particular “troublemaker” (a teenager, naturally), who has learned how to twist open the cookie sandwich, Oreo style, to get the cream filling inside. “Interestingly, he has taught a number of others to do the same,” she points out.

The raccoons are sometimes joined at the table by opossums and the occasional cat, all eating together. The two feral cats the Thackers feed are friendly with the critters.

“They all get along and are very respectful of each other,” Carrie says. “Shadow, a solid black feral male cat, has a crush on a young female raccoon, and they often caress by brushing against each other and end up eating side-by-side.”

Richard has noticed various personalities among the raccoons.

“Truly, they’re like little fuzzy people, all different,” he says. “Some are open, friendly and courageous; others are more guarded and shy. They all make eye contact and express themselves well through their eyes and body language.”

“We love watching all the wildlife we have,” Carrie says. “They make us feel a part of the environment. It’s truly amazing how the different species interact with each other, and it makes us realize they aren’t all that different from us. We’re surprised almost every day by what we learn from them.”

Aware that not everyone welcomes the sight of a raccoon or any wildlife in their yard, Carrie adds, “We know some people are afraid of wild animals and think eradicating them is the solution, but we strongly believe that it’s very important for the ecosystem for us to learn how to coexist with each other. They enrich our lives immeasurably.”