Arianna Otero, Tallahassee Democrat
Sat, July 11, 2026 at 9:06 AM UTC
Humans aren’t the only ones trying to beat the Florida heat.
A local racoon decided the best way to relax would be taking a dip in William Shaner’s birdbath in his backyard.
“Just cooling off on a hot day,” Shaner texted the Tallahassee Democrat.
Shaner said he was visited by the critter around 5:30 p.m. on July 7, while he was listening to a World Cup soccer podcast at his home in Killearn Estates.
William Shaner said he spotted a racoon taking a dip in his birdbath at his house along Tralee Road on July 7.
He got the photo and video of the racoon splayed out in the bird bath.
“I actually thought she/he was going to take a drink after snacking on some birdseed, when she/he settled down to cool off,” Shaner texted.
The Southeast has been dealing with record temperatures, even experiencing a heat dome over the holiday weekend, but it looks like everyone is doing what they can to cool off or trying to at least.
In Tallahassee, the beloved Splash Pad has been down at Cascades Park so many are taking the racoon route, but subbing the birdbath for the pool.
“We need something that makes us smile every morning,” Shaner said.
Arianna Otero is the trending and breaking news reporter for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact her via email at AOtero@tallahassee.com and follow her on X: @ari_v_otero.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: See a raccoon take a dip in a birdbath to beat Florida heat