We've always had spaniels or troublesome mutts my wife couldn't stand like a beagle and a German shorthaired pointer. But our current springer is 12 year-old retired show dog, and she's basically a doormat. I bush-hogged one corn patch today because the raccoons had taken every ear of my early corn: that's four, 75 foot rows of it. I harvested 2 1/2 dozen ears in total. Six rows of late corn aren't ready yet, so they're fine. Live traps take at most two coons per night. We need a dog as a household pet, companion on a golf cart, occasional upland bird dog and newly, a killer of raccoons. Years ago we had a 37 pound cocker spaniel b*tch who came to us because "She was killin' ev'ry 'coon in the country!" This was during the days when pelts were valuable. She was a sweet, apparently gentle little dog, but she and her pups had a bloodthirsty streak toward wild animals which was a little hard to believe. The downside of a family pet which kills wild animals is a wandering dog which comes back loaded with porcupine quills or reeking of skunk, but I think I'm prepared to take the risk, given the raccoon situation. Any suggestions as to a breed? I'm impressed by border collies, but don't know if a male would be rugged enough to go up against a large raccoon. (There's no water around.) Oh yeah, my wife goes ballistic every time I mention a hound. My dad had a Tennessee coonhound with a magnificent voice and she seemed to think the whole world was her concert hall.
| 
