As long as you have an intermittent electric fencer it is safe around small animals, pets and children (although I unplug the fencer when we have company...it is unpleasant to touch). Birds bathe daily in my big pond and even sit on the wires (I make sure plants are not grounding the wire), the dogs each got zapped once and have not had a problem with it.
Raccoons had actually killed all my fish, and had eaten all my plants. I was ready to fill it in before we gave the fencer a try. I did have to run one diagonal wire because last year great blue herons started using the pond for buffet dining. Like you I didn't have any trouble with raccoons for the first (15) years of the pond. The deeper the pond the better chance your fish have of surviving. Like others the wire didn't work for me. Raccoons are pretty clever.
I use solar lights as the posts for the wires and spray painted the wire holders.
Good luck whatever you choose to do
