Day 334 -- Early wake-up call

For some reason, I seem to be waking up earlier since the time change instead of wanting to sleep later.  This morning I got up about 7:00 and left Bill in bed.  I was going to go out on the patio and read but it wasn't quite light enough yet, but I took the dogs out with me.  The next thing I know, Holly goes wild downstairs in the flower bed, and I realize that she is trying to attack something which is also trying to attack her.  My first thought was a coral snake since our neighbors have killed about 4.  So I run downstairs and grab a broom on my way hoping to flush it out or at least keep Holly away from whatever it is.  When I get close, I can hear the thing is growling like a dog and Holly is dashing in and out.  The "thing" is under one of the big pampas grass mounds so I can't see it--can only hear it.  I stick the broom down there and it growls louder--then both dogs decide they will play this game together so one is going after "it" from one direction and one from the other.  I'm yelling at both of them.  Finally, Bill comes down to help me get the dogs off of it and about that time, Holly makes one final lunge and comes out with a raccoon--thank goodness it wasn't one of the giant ones that we sometimes see.  It was an adolescent and Holly wasn't letting go.  Finally Bill had to bat her away with the broom and I grabbed her before she could tear it limb from limb.  We get both dogs under our control and leave the wounded raccoon by himself to see if he can get himself to the woods or whether Bill was going to have to destroy it.  It was crying and it was so pitiful!  But after about 30 minutes, it was gone and making no noise so we are hoping it was no hurt badly--we couldn't see any blood but it definitely knew it had come into the wrong yard to eat dog food today!