A precocious young girl and her father rescue a pet raccoon from an abusive owner. Ooooh! Clever move! Starting the strip off by immediately forcing me to feel concern for the lil’ fur ball and the people who care enough not to let animal abuse carry on.
About four strips into the series, in the course of naming their new furry friend, we are able to read into the raccoon’s thoughts. Apparently he abhors the name ‘Rascal’ and laments that it seems to be the fate of every domestic raccoon because Rascal is to raccoon as Fido is to Dog. I love, love, LOVE that the authors of this strip knew to blame Sterling North for that. There’s probably nothing better than a quasi-obscure reference to call me back to childhood and surprise me into a chortle!
