Raccoons? (updated w/ pics)

Wholey carp!  I'd be just about, um, pooping my panties if I wer alone & I heard that noise.  I know that 'coons can be crafty but I'm not sure they can be THAT crafty.

 EEk!  Lani I think that would have to be an excessively large raccoon - you know like B movie size.

Now it could be something like a bear (don't know how likely or unlikely in your area) or some of the larger deer (mule deer, etc.) if they put down the ex pen perhaps that stress alone broke the hook screws?

You are impressively brave BTW LOL

I doubt highly it was a coon -- now they might figure out how to unhook something but crashing it?  Nope - not usually, NOT if it was a healthy coon.

WATCH during the daytime -- watch for an animal out of its element (like a coon during the day). 

Dunno where exactly you are, but I think you might want to report it either to fisheries and wildlife or at least to the cops -- the might be able to tell from footprints or waste nearby.

My concern would be a sick animal -- get my meaning?

 Deer could certainly be a possibility, or even a loose horse, if they accidentally crash into a fence.  When they are frightened, they just bolt.

But, the shaking part - sounds suspiciously like some black bears are known to do. 

I doubt a coyote would be big enough to crash the thing - they usually just go up and over like a climbing Border Collie would do. 

Raccoon?  Breaking down the whole ex pen - doubt if, if you have the stout chain link kind.

OMG you guys are scaring me! lol  (LOL Karen, thanks... i was feeling like a fool going outside after that, but my neighbors to the side that i let the dogs out of are friends, so I figured I could scream and they'd come running, or so I was hoping. I went outside with the dowel i use to block the slider, positioned like a bat!)

Thank you for the ideas, I need to be honest with myself.  If it's not a raccoon, I need to know. 

I looked for tracks or scat and didn't find anything. I looked in the shed on the property for any signs of critters, nothing really (spiders, and some mouse pellets.). 

Also, I'm in a busy area... with a 6' privacy fence put in particularly to contain weimaraners (the gal I'm renting from is a weim breeder and lived here with her 3 dogs before I moved in).  I guess it's not that a black bear couldn't have done it, but I don't know how it or a deer would have gotten in??  I went outside within 2 min. of the racket (I think, time seemed to slow down)... I'm so freaked out by this!!!

I have heard there are coyotes in the area, haven't seen one.  There are DEFINITELY raccoons.... otherwise, the only other thing I can conceive of is a human.  Which is the scariest option yet.  But 1. they would have had to try hard to get in.  2. they could have just unhooked the fence if they wanted in, or stepped over it?  (it's just a little traveling ex-pen, my dogs are both trained to accept this boundary, granted Logan could get through it properly motivated...but, I *KNOW * it was not them.) I took pictures of the damage to the hooks and the yard so you can get an idea of what it looks like.  And 3. there is a slider right there, which would be the preferable means of entry, cause I don't think a human over the age of 10 could get in that doggy door. 

I'll put the pictures up in a few minutes. 

Sera_J

I know raccoons can mess a dog up. 

I would call a pest company to help tell you what it might have been and get rid of what ever it was. Sounds scarey. :(

OK here are a few pictures.

I put in the new hooks so you could see the damage of the old ones in comparison, these are only 2 of the 4. They all looked like this.  These hooks have only been up about 3 weeks, so it's not like they are aged.

How scary!!! I'm so glad Frankie was OK... but, wow.  What an experience.  I hope Nik backed up by Logan is scary enough to keep them away.  She's fearless (the JRT, i'm thinking) but, not big enough to back her brawn.  Logan's the brawn.  And he takes protecting his sister very seriously and I love and appreciate him for that.

Im sure Logan would backup his little sister, weims are pretty brave dogs. ;)

 Heck, I thought you meant a big chain link kennel.  A smaller animal could have pulled that thing over, so probably NOT a bear.  But, deer, coyote, or big raccoon are possibilities, especially if they were on the run.

I don't know what it was... but I'm happy you guys are OK and I hope you will find out soon...

 Those screws are bent FLAT!!  That's so crazy, I have no idea what animal would have bent the screws like that.  I could see raccoons knocking over the x-pen, but the screws...

I'm glad you all are ok!

Thanks so much guys!

Yeah, knocking it over wasn't as big of a deal... but the bending straight of those screw/hook-things was what really freaked me out!  I mean, something really had to have tried to do that and WANTED to.  Honestly a raccoon could have just jumped it if it just needed to get over it.  It's really not that high! 

I'm such a wuss, tonight I'm jumping at every sound and won't let the dogs out until I've checked the yard. 

Not trying to scare you, but it sounds like it could have been a Bigfoot.  You do live in an area where there are many sightings.