Well, it was only a matter of time. The last few months, I have been getting a definite odor of skunk in our backyard a few times. A couple of months ago, our neighbors across the street called to warn that their dogs had been skunked (lucky them, it happened at 8 a.m. on a weekday morning so they could get the dogs to a groomer). And then last week as I was walking the dogs, I saw what I first thought was a black and white cat rolling around in the grass by the school next door, but on a closer vantage point, I saw it was a skunk. We must be in Skunk Central.
Well, last night about 11 p.m. I put all four dogs out before bedtime. The first three came in with no problem. Now let me back up a minute. We get squirrels and chipmunks and there is a definite bark that Lindie (the only one who seems to be interested) lets out a bark when she spots a critter. Well, last week, I heard a yelp I had never heard before (again, at bedtime) and when I looked out, I saw an opossum sitting atop the fence, looking down, glaring at Lindie. She was going nuts, but couldn't reach it. I had to go out with a leash to bring her in. The opossum never flinched.
Now, let's step back into the present. The other three dogs had come in and I was calling Lindie in. I heard nothing. Not a bark, not a yelp, nothing. But she did run right up onto the deck and into the patio. I could smell the skunk-smell, but it was nothing out of the ordinary. But when Lindie came through the doggie-door, she was foaming at the mouth. I saw that her back was wet and I ran my hands through her fur and smelled my hand. It didn't smell like skunk, but it was a chemically-smell. She was shaking her head and throwing the foam off and I'm thinking, "I'm going to need to make a run to the middle-of-the-night animal clinic." I was able to keep her on the deck and run in and get a wet cloth to wipe her mouth off and just as I was going back in to rinse it off, she was able to squeeze through door and get into the house.
By this time, the foaming had stopped, but she was rolling all over the rug in a panic. She stayed in the living room for a minute, then quickly ran to the bedroom. She was rubbing first on the floor and then on the bed before I could catch her and put her in the bathroom. I looked on-line for home de-skunking dog baths (hydrogene pyroxide, baking soda, and dish soap.....luckily, I had just bought a new bottle of HP a few days before) and got her in the shower and was able to bathe her (keep this mixture out of their eyes, FYI) and dry her off.
Luckily, the dog can no longer be called Stinky. Unfortunately, my house reeks. The best thing is to keep windows open and air circulating, but we ARE in the midst of August and so that only helps during the middle-of-the-night. I have burned every candle, used every air freshener, and used all of the carpet deodorizer I have on hand. Let's just say I didn't have a very good night's sleep last night. My bedroom REEKS. Please tell me this will go dissipate! I have a feeling I'm going to be smelling this for a long, long time.
So, please forgive the lack of FOOD posts. I hope to get back on track soon (I have a wonderful pasta recipe I hope to post tomorrow). And I have a new microwave pressure cooker (I had never heard of such a thing) with a couple of recipes I can't wait to try.
That is, if I can tolerate eating in this house with this smell.
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