Last year two of her dogs, a Jack Russell terrier and a German shepherd, got in a fight with a raccoon.
In this case it was the dogs that were the aggressors, with Jagendorf and her husband frantically trying to pull them away.
Raccoons may look cute, Jagendorf says, but they're quite capable of defending themselves. Even with two dogs against a single raccoon, the tussle was a standoff.
"Later an animal control officer told us that a raccoon can drown a dog in two inches [five centimeters] of water just by holding its nose under water."
Audubon's Sallinger thinks this scenario might be an urban legend, but he agrees that raccoons can be vicious fighters when the need arises.
"I wouldn't put my money on a dog against a raccoon," he said.
When raccoon conflicts occur, Sallinger says, they're almost always caused by people leaving food outdoors—a filled trash bin, a bowl of pet food, or even a deliberate effort to feed wildlife.
"Almost all of our problem raccoons or coyotes are precipitated by feeding," he said. "Someone feels sorry for them and starts putting out dog and cat food."
Cities do provide some of the United States' more important wildlife habitats, he notes.
Portland, for example, hosts 209 species of birds, counting migrants that pass through regularly.
The city also has 5 percent of Oregon's peregrine falcons—a species on the U.S. endangered species list—and the state's largest wild population of painted turtles.
But, Sallinger says, people need to recognize that creatures such as raccoons and coyotes are wild animals. That means respecting them from a distance and avoiding behaviors that cause them to lose their instinctual fear of humans.
"People have this sentimental view of wildlife," Sallinger said, "and, with the best of intentions, tend to act in ways that ultimately put themselves, their pets, and the animal they want to help at risk."
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