When I first saw the raccoon in the middle of the street, I had to pull over and get out to see if it was real or a stuff toy. Even from close up, I had to keep focusing on the feet to convince myself that it wasn’t actual roadkill. I brought it home, cleaned out the road grime that had filled its insides and washed it in bucket after bucket of hot water. Once it was dry, I restuffed it, gave it some new eyes, stitched it a nose, and sutured its many gaping wounds. My daughter named him Rascal.
This isn’t her first road-rescue stuffed animal. The menagerie includes a giraffe, two pigs, and a snake.