{"id":56379,"date":"2025-11-19T17:05:09","date_gmt":"2025-11-19T17:05:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/56379\/"},"modified":"2025-11-19T17:05:09","modified_gmt":"2025-11-19T17:05:09","slug":"why-lubbock-parents-should-avoid-raccoons-as-pets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/56379\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Lubbock Parents Should Avoid Raccoons As Pets"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019ve lived in Lubbock<\/a> long enough, you know there are two guarantees in life: the wind will destroy at least one\u00a0fence a year, and your kid will eventually beg for a pet you absolutely do not want. Maybe you already caved on that turtle your child \u201chad to have\u201d back in 2010 and are now wondering how it\u2019s still alive. Well\u2026hold onto your hat, because researchers say the next pet craze could be something far worse.<\/p>\n

\"93.1<\/p>\n

Raccoons. That’s right. And let me tell you from personal experience–raccoons are the BANE OF MY EXISTENCE! I live at Buffalo Springs Lake and they’re EVERYWHERE out there! They knock over my trashcans, annoy my dogs, and–interestingly–buddy up to my outdoor cats. I guess they team up for shenanigans at night when I’m sleeping. Anyway…<\/p>\n

Yes, Raccoons Are Getting Cuter–And That\u2019s the Problem<\/p>\n

According to a new study<\/a> from the University of Arkansas<\/a>, raccoons are physically evolving because of how often they\u2019re around humans. And by \u201cevolving,\u201d they don\u2019t mean they\u2019re becoming better behaved or less likely to empty your dumpster at 2am They mean their faces are getting cuter.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s right–the masked bandits that tip over your trash in the middle of the night are developing softer features, bigger eyes, and a look that might one day trigger your kid to say, \u201cMom, can we KEEP it?\u201d<\/p>\n

READ MORE:\u00a0Josh Abbott Returns to Lubbock for a Sweet Homecoming at Dairy Queen<\/a><\/p>\n

One biologist explains it like this: once wild animals spend enough time near people, they become less afraid and start showing \u201cdomestication syndrome.\u201d Think softer faces\u2026but the same bad attitude.<\/p>\n

Foxes and mice in urban areas are showing the same trend. Great. When the raccoons aren\u2019t trying to get into your garage, the foxes might be sitting outside looking adorable enough to cause chaos inside your household.<\/p>\n

Lubbock, Let\u2019s Not Start a Trend<\/p>\n

Before someone in Lubbock tries to\u00a0come at you with\u00a0their “Emotional Support Raccoon,\u201d let\u2019s be clear: these animals make terrible pets.<\/p>\n

Not \u201ca little difficult,\u201d not \u201chigh maintenance\u201d–terrible.<\/p>\n

They\u2019re destructive, they require tons of space, they have unpredictable behavior, and they carry diseases your family does NOT need. And in many places–including parts of Texas–it\u2019s flat-out illegal to keep a raccoon as a pet without special permits.<\/p>\n

READ MORE:\u00a0Attention Lubbock Drivers – The Great Texas Plate Auction Is Back!<\/a><\/p>\n

Just because they\u2019re starting to look like something you\u2019d see on a cute fall-themed throw pillow at HomeGoods doesn\u2019t mean you want one in your living room.<\/p>\n

The South Plains Already Has Enough Wildlife<\/p>\n

Between prairie dogs, skunks, coyotes, and whatever keeps digging up flower beds around the Hub City, we\u2019re already busy enough. The last thing we need is a new wave of adorable-looking raccoons convincing kids they deserve a spot on the couch.<\/p>\n

So if your child comes home from school someday insisting their class learned that raccoons are \u201cbasically pets now,\u201d remember: their faces might be evolving\u2026but their habits definitely aren\u2019t.<\/p>\n

Lubbock, admire them from afar–preferably far far.<\/p>\n

We Visited ‘Tent Village’ at The Jones as Fans Gear Up for Saturday’s Game Against BYU!<\/p>\n

Gallery Credit: Landon King<\/p>\n

Josh Abbott Returns to Lubbock for a Sweet Homecoming at Dairy Queen<\/p>\n

Gallery Credit: Dairy Queen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"If you\u2019ve lived in Lubbock long enough, you know there are two guarantees in life: the wind will…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":56380,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[168,170,169],"class_list":{"0":"post-56379","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-lubbock","8":"tag-lubbock","9":"tag-lubbock-headlines","10":"tag-lubbock-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56379","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=56379"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56379\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/56380"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=56379"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=56379"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=56379"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}