DEAR Advice,
I need your expert detective skills. Someone—or something—has been leaving “gifts” at my front door. To reach it, you have to open a gate and walk through my courtyard, so this isn’t some casual sidewalk drop-off.
A few months ago, the first offering appeared: a neat little pile of poop, more cat-sized than dog-sized. I assumed raccoon—because who else delivers their business with such suburban stealth?
Then last week, I opened the door to find another masterpiece: a small pile containing an earthworm, a slug, and possibly a tiny plum. I didn’t inspect it too closely (boundaries, people), grabbed a plastic newspaper bag, wrapped it up like a suspicious package, and tossed it.
Am I right to think raccoons are the culprits? I live in the suburbs, not a national park.
Also, could a raccoon be so polite—or territorial—that it poops in almost the exact same spot on my lawn every time? I’d been blaming a neighbor’s small dog, but now I’m thinking maybe I’ve been framing the wrong suspect.
Yours in bewilderment,
The Poop Sleuth of Suburbia