Paddleboarders thought they were rescuing a drowning dog. They saved a raccoon

AUSTIN, Texas —

A pair of fishermen made a very strange catch when they spotted a drowning raccoon and pulled it aboard a paddleboard.

Thinking it was a dog, two paddleboarders spotted the struggling raccoon while fishing on Lady Bird Lake near Austin, Texas.

One scooped it up using his paddle and brought it aboard. From there, the critter ran the gamut of emotions, from standoffish and snippy to curious and even trusting, crawling under the man and riding out the rainy weather beneath him.

The paddleboarder said he couldn’t explain how it made him feel that the animal felt safe underneath him.

The bewilderment continued once they arrived on shore, and the raccoon took off and never looked back.