For the past four days we have waged war against raccoons. First, some background.

We keep our dog food and bird seed on the back porch in metal cans. The two bird seed cans (one for black oil sunflower seeds, and the other for thistle seeds) are on one end of the porch - just a few steps away from our many bird feeders. Jake’s dog food can is on the other end of the porch next to his bowl. The convenience of having the cans close to where they’re needed helps us keep our pets - both domesticated and wild - fed in a timely manner. The cans look like small trash cans - with lids that fit snugly but which can be lifted off without much effort. Each holds a large bag of their respective foods.

Several nights ago, a raccoon turned over the dog food can, took off the top, and helped him/herself to a midnight feast on dog food. The sound of the can falling over woke Ron, and he switched on the back porch light. The raccoon ran across the patio and then turned around and stared back at Ron.

Ron wasn’t about to let a raccoon get the best of him, and so the next day, he put a stick of firewood on top of the can. “That’ll keep ‘em out,” he declared.

It didn’t. That night the raccoon again turned over the can and enjoyed a dog food meal. The firewood was lying on the porch next to the overturned can. So Ron added a heavy log to the top of the can and braced it against the brick on the side of the house. “They won’t get THAT off,” he said.

They did. We both slept through the sound of the log, firewood and can falling over on the porch. The raccoon enjoyed a third night of feasting on Jake’s dog food.

Yesterday I bought some bungee cords. I hooked one to the handle on one side of the can, threaded it through the handle on top of the lid, and then hooked the other end to the handle on the other side of the can. Then, even though the bird seed cans hadn’t been touched, I bungee corded them as well. An ounce of prevention and all that.

Morning dawned - and the dog food can was unmoved and unopened. Take THAT, raccoons!

Now there is a website community for everyone who loves their pets.  You can chat with other pet lovers, you can relax and have fun as you connect and network with other like minded animal lovers from across the country.  Best of all, you can build a personalized profile of each of your pets.  After all, who deserves his/her own profile than the pet that gives you so much companionship, loyal and enjoyment.  Everyone in the family can join in the fun.  You can share your pet with others.  If you have a particular issue with your pet, you can look for other folks who own the same breed and share experiences and hopefully be able to problem solve with other members of Anamigo.. 

Share you favorite stories about your pets, blog about your recent animal adventures, ask animal experts about any problem or situation you might have with your pets, enjoy showing off photos of your pets, and find information and tips on animal services, accessories, pet friendly places, and tips on favorite toys for your pet.  As Anamigo grows, so will your enjoyment.

Recently the Anamigo, the pet lovers site, had a launch party at the Sundance Film Festival.  Celebrity pet lovers such as Paris Hilton, Felicity Huffman, Perez Hilton, and Jack Black showed up to lend their support to the online community.