Weird: Check out the "bizzare" animal a woman claimed is part of her family

A married couple from Russellville in Arkansas do spend their nights in bed cozying up to an unusual pet - their fluffy raccoon which the wife claiming the animal is a big part of her family.

Bethany Swindell, 33, and her husband Russ, 35, rescued the the raccoon after she fell more than 30 feet from the top of an oak tree in their garden in June 2016.

Although the couple, from Russellville in Arkansas, spotted the one-week-old raccon's mother in the tree, she did not retrieve her by nightfall.

So Swindell, a professor at Arkansas Tech University, scooped up the raccoon, who was hairless and the size of a 'baked potato,' named her June and took her in.
A check-up at the vet confirmed June was not injured in the fall.

Swindell and her husband, who is an electrical supervisor, then fed June on milk designed for kittens.

The couple had hoped to release June back into the wild, but now, the two-year-old has become too used to home comforts like her owners' queen-size bed and her favourite snack of frozen blueberries.
'When we first got her she was so little and she barely had any hair,' Swindell said.

'It was two weeks before she opened her eyes, so our vet thinks she was just a week old she we found her.'

Describing her pet as a mix between a cat and a dog, she explained: 'For instance she lazes around like a cat, and won't come when she's called, but she plays rough like a dog.
'She eats dog food and loves to snack on fruits. Her favorite is frozen blueberries.'

Swindell added: 'We tried to release her into the wild when she was strong enough.

'We put her cage outside with the door open. I know from experience that a lot of rescue raccoons get curious and do get the courage to leave, but all June did was cry to come inside.

'She loves home comforts and sleeping in our bed. She eats dog food and loves to snack on fruits. Her favorite is frozen blueberries.'
Then, in September last year, the couple added a new member to the family when they brought home a Vizsla puppy named Waffles.

And despite the difference in species, the pair became instant pals.

'We got a dog last year, Waffles, and they are best friends,' Swindell added.

'They clown around so much and follow each other around the house it's really sweet.'

She said June is a very social pet, and loves nothing more than a good rub down, even from strangers.

'Everyone loves June. Sometimes I bring her into work, and everyone wants to hold her and take pictures with her,' she added.

'I don't bring her into class because we'd never get any work done. She is so sweet. She's become a part of our family.'