This actually happened a couple weeks back now, but I'm only just getting round to mention it now. It was late (midnight) and The dogs were let out for the last time before bed. When Colin, my husband, went to let them in, Pixie and Cookie came, but no Dolly!
Moments later he shouted 'skunk!' and shut the door, as a skunk stood in the pathway where Dolly should have been. By the time I got to the door, Poor Doll was back on the step, coughing and squinting and trying desparately to snort away the thick yellow greasy liquid that now covered her face.
What a nightmare! the smell filled the entire house in seconds, and I scrubbed her with rubber gloves, 'no tears' shampoo, followed by vinegar, for an hour before having to give up and go to bed.
The next day I called the grooming salon, and by the end of the day she had been as 'de-skunked' as possible, having had all her hair cut very short and special salon shampoo.
At least her coat is now really short for the summer!
Last year at this time our dog got skunked twice in a row. I now keep special skunk shampoo as a standby. My dog is a collie with a wonderfully full coat. Skunk aroma wafts around for weeks every time the air is damp. My dog is old and deaf and we had just moved to a house in the hills, with a trickling waterfall, all of which contributed to the skunking, I'm sure. My husband didn't do anything other than yell "YOUR dog really smells!" By the time I got downstairs poor Diva had rubbed against walls, carpet and bedding to try and clear her eyes. Hubby spent the next month complaining about the smell. You can get used to anything. I kept telling him it was a "Natural" smell.
ReplyDeleteUgh! sounds terrible! At least I was able to cut Dolly's hair off, as it's the kind that easily grows back.
ReplyDeleteYep, my bathroom still smells of it, and I have scrubbed everything!
What a fun blog! I share your love of illustration..... and little dogs!
ReplyDeleteI didn't know there were skunks in California... but that's just my ignorance showing. There were lots of them in South Jersey, near Atlantic City, where my grandparents lived. Even on the road you had to be careful not to run over a dead one, because then the car would stink for long after. Amazing how pungent ant potent the smell is... and it does stink badly, even for a natural odor... not one of Nature's kinder developments. Perhaps you are familiar with the Loudon Wainwright song : Dead Skunk In the Middle of the Road ??? It can be found on YouTube...
ReplyDeleteYour Dolly is so, so cute! Just adorable! I too, love small dogs and everything little! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Sonia! She is a sweetie. Getting on a bit now - with her 13th birthday next month! But she still acts like a puppy.
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