This is the moment a tubby raccoon is put through its paces by his new personal trainer – the family pooch.
The three-year-old raccoon, named Tornado, boasts 39,300 Instagram followers and lives with his owners Victoria Domaratsky and Alexander Domaratsky at their home in the city of Orsk in the Russian region of Orenburg Oblast.
The couple has recently recruited their pet dog to help the overweight raccoon shed some pounds due to lack of activity during the COVID-19 lockdown.
As seen in the footage, the dog exercises Tornado by holding its lead in its mouth and leading the raccoon around.
The couple said the dog also makes sure Tornado does not run off and always picks up his lead when the pooch drops it from its mouth.
Tornado’s owners have had the cute raccoon since he was just three weeks old.
Alexander said: “We took him in at the age of three weeks and fed him from a bottle like a human child. For us, this is a great journey that we always wanted to experience.”
Tornado’s diet consists mostly of fruits, vegetables and baby food without dairy, which has remained his standard diet for the most part.
Alexander said they enjoyed time with their raccoon so much that they wanted to share their happiness with the rest of the world.
He told Newsflash: “We have invested a lot of time and effort to make our raccoon grow socially and feel part of this world.”
He added the raccoon has not only learned to accept him and Victoria, but has taken a liking to their friends who also enjoy posing for photos and playing with him.
Tornado was widely reported on by local media when the couple first got him in 2019, even appearing on a television show called ‘Have You Seen That Video?’ The couple later appeared on the show in person where they spoke about the unique experience of raising a raccoon.
Local media said zoo experts have even praised the couple for the amount of care and consideration they provide Tornado to ensure he is always happy and attended for, even if he now seems to have put on too many pounds from overeating and lack of activity.
Before the coronavirus lockdown, Tornado spent a lot of time in the fresh air going for swims in a river, hiking mountains, or travelling to nature spots during the warmer seasons.
However, he piled up the pounds when his owners were also trapped indoors and now the extra walkies is helping him get fit again.
The racoon named Tornado,3, who has become an internet star after several videos of him were posted on social media by his owners in the city of Orsk in the Russian federal subject of Orenburg Oblast. 
The racoon named Tornado,3, who has become an internet star after several videos of him were posted on social media by his owners in the city of Orsk in the Russian federal subject of Orenburg Oblast. 
The racoon named Tornado,3, who has become an internet star after several videos of him were posted on social media by his owners in the city of Orsk in the Russian federal subject of Orenburg Oblast.
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Story By: Arian Movileanu, Sub-Editor: James King, Agency: Newsflash
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