Raccoon Dog

Sometimes there is no news. Sometimes we have to tell you about dog sweaters. Today we will tell you about the Raccoon Dog.

The Raccoon Dog is a member of the canid family but is not a true dog. It is called a raccoon dog because it bears a superficial resemblance to a raccoon. It is a basal genus of Canidae, meaning it branched off into it's own adorable subgroup earlier than others. It is believed that the Racoon Dog family Nyctereutes has been evolutionarily distinct for seven to ten million years.

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Like most dogs, the Raccoon Dog is omnivorous, but is unique in the range of different foods it will eat, which includes pretty much anything including berries, seeds, crabs and other marine life - another similarity to true raccoons... It also has curved claws that allow it to climb trees making it the only canid capable of climbing trees other than the Grey Fox (this is debatable if the film Man's Best Friend is to be believed...). It also is the only canid known to go into a torpor in the winter. Finally, it doesn't bark and rarely fights, preferring to hide, play dead or scream when alarmed... On a side note, that's all those engineers that invented the Robo Dog need is to give the thing a dog scream...

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Raccoon Dogs can be found throughout much of Japan, Korea, China and Siberia. In Japan they have cultural significance and can be found in legend, art, song, and video games! For real, both Mario's "Tanooki Suit (tanuki in Japanese)" and "Raccoon Suit" in Mario Brothers 3 were often misunderstood by ignorant American 9 year olds like my brother to be a bear suit and raccoon suit respectively! Not true! It was Mario taking on the less than intimidating defensive tactics of the Raccoon Dog!

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In the wild, Raccoon Dogs also symbiotically infect violent Italians, have a penchant for gold coins and fight boomerang wielding anthropomorphic turtles.

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I don't mean to be rude, but you forgot to mention that in Japanese folklore, the tanuki has enormous testicles.

Wow! Whoever you are you're very smart. ^-^ and I really liked that, it was good. Maybe my mom will let us get a Raccoon dog if I convice her it really is a dog. xD

By Emily Kate (not verified) on 20 Jul 2008 #permalink

Racoon Dog

By Sheri LaGrave (not verified) on 24 Oct 2008 #permalink

cool raccoon dogs!i would put more info in this website oh and by the way visit pprrdd.city max.com and leave a comment

Ah yes, for an excellent example of the tanuki (and their giant testicles as Hypatia mentioned...) watch the movie Pom Poko (by Studio Ghibli).

Sadly, these animals are brutally killed by heartless people in China. They are skinned alive for fur.

Don't forget to mention that in China these sweet faced harmless creatures are slammed on the ground and then skinned alive so they can sell their fur. Check out a video if you can stomach, it will be your worst nightmare. The savages that inhumanely slaughter these sweet creatures should also be skinned alive. Don't buy anything from China.......

where can you find and buy one in the United States, thank you

jan telman
616-322-4185

By Jan Telman (not verified) on 30 May 2009 #permalink

A friend of mine posted on facebook the most horrifying video i ever seen about the cruelty of Raccoon dogs in China farms...A shame to human race of what they were doing to the poor animals for money...Raccoon's were being torture and killed with pleasure alive...It made me sick...I can't take it off my mind of what i saw...I can't call these people humans...sorry they can been anything but for sure they are not humans...I SAY NO TO FUR!!!!

i want one. its pretty. i like pretty things. do u ? i do yayyy my hair is pretty today

i think that this crisis is not that serious, im sorry about the poor raccoon dogs i mean they look cute and everything but you people do know that there are some more important issues in the world. i know the animals are not being treated as they should but you have to wonder are people caring so much for the simple fact that it has the word 'dog' in its name. its not at all that i believe in animal abuse, i majored in zoology and all but c'mon people this is not the only issue facing the states..oh wait its not in the states...

I can't believe china would kill such a cute fluffy thing like the racoon dog. =/

Aww, there so cute. I love raccoons! And i want a raccoon dog! CHINA IS SO STUPID FOR KILLING THEM! China is so selfish and emotionless. haha

Over 50 million animals are killed in China each year for supply to the fur trade. Most are kept in appalling conditions and then brutally killed, often they are skinned while still conscious. Culturally the Chinese do look upon animals the same way as people in the West. Animals are seen as a resource to be used. While there is much work to be done in China to change attitudes and find alternative work for those involved there would be no fur trade if there wasn't a demand for fur. This demand is coming from the fashion industry which is telling us that its now OK to wear fur. Well nothing has changed and its not OK. SAY NO TO FUR.

I have cried every day for a week after seeing the video "Skinned Alive"Those Poor Poor Animals....never knew such Evil existed .....Shame on You China!!!

The chinese are absolute sickos and i hate them for what they are doing on the chinese fur farms-these gorgious raccoon dogs are beaten and tortured and then skinned alive if there was a god out there he would not allow for this to happen, i only hope and pray these sick people who commit these dreadful crimes will go to hell and suffer for there disgusting acts on innocent animals it breaks my heart it really does i just dont know what else to say i just hope these people burn in hell for this.

By Natalie Le Neve (not verified) on 22 Aug 2010 #permalink

Animals are seen as a resource to be used. While there is much work to be done in China to change attitudes and find alternative work for those involved there would be no fur trade if there wasn't a demand for fur

Not all chinese people are horrible, only the few. Also, Chinese aren't the only race who do it, they are just an example.

Yes, it is horrible and unethical. Lots of people around the word kill horses too. Search up how it is done. They are killed while conscious too while being hung from the ceiling, and the humans then leave them there until their blood drips out and eat them.

By asianprincess (not verified) on 14 Oct 2010 #permalink

Also, don't completely blame the Chinese fur-traders. They are horrible, sick people, but the fault also goes to the buyers of fur.

No demand, no need for supply.

By asianprincess (not verified) on 14 Oct 2010 #permalink

Yeesh, guys... what about the cows that died for your sneakers? Or your wallet? Your cell phone case? How about the pigs that tried on your eye-shadow to make sure that it wouldn't blind you? Let's not be hypocrites, folks... The fur trade is a terrible thing, but how many of you bother to make sure your laundry detergents or cold/flu medications weren't tested on "OMGSOCUTE!!1!1" lab rabbits, mice, chimps, etc.? People do bad things to the (*gasp!*) not-so-cute/furry animals too. Do your homework before you demonize an entire culture for things that are also happening in your own back yard... or on your feet, for that matter.