Video of raccoon on a leash in Philadelphia goes viral

Alicia Vitarelli Image
Thursday, July 21, 2022
Video of Raccoon on a leash in Fishtown goes viral
In Fishtown, one man has become a full-blown Instagram attraction because he has a raccoon for a pet. Add to that, he famously walks it around on a leash.

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- In Philadelphia's Fishtown section, one man has become a full blown Instagram attraction because he has a raccoon for a pet. Add to that, he famously walks it around on a leash.

Joe Mezzico, the owner of Gents Barber Lounge in Fishtown, posted a video on Instagram of the man walking the raccoon around, watching it hop on cars.

He asks the man how he got the animal to get in the leash in the first place. Apparently, it's not popular but the animal knows this is the only way it gets to roam the streets.

Mezzico titled his video: "Only in Philly."

So far we don't know who this man is, but he has told neighbors, like Kerri Sitrin, that he found the raccoon abandoned when it was a baby and he's had him as a pet for about a year and a half.

He walks it like a dog, which has left some actual Philadelphia dogs intrigued and scared.

Earlier this week, we saw some other Philadelphia raccoons get feisty. They jumped over a fence and bite Benjamin McCool. He was recording them climbing a fence, and that moment ended with McCool getting rabies shots.

SEE ALSO: Caught on video: Man filming baby raccoons gets attacked in Philadelphia

A Pennsylvania man taking video of adorable raccoon kits in a Philadelphia alley ended up in a hospital after an adult raccoon suddenly charged at and bit him.