The rakunks had begun as an after-hours hobby on the part of the OrganInc biolab hotspots. (...)
(...)"No smell to it, not like a skunk," said Jimmy's father. "It's a clean animal, with a nice
disposition. Placid. Racoons never made good pets once they
grown up, they got crabby, they'd tear your houses to pieces. This thing is
supposed to be calmer."
(M.Atwood, Oryx and Crake, Virago Press 2004, p.57-8)