Skunks Make Awful House Guests

Skunk spray is an awful thing to wake up. Skunk odor seeps through the house even though the doors are shut.

“Uck! They did it again.” I open the glass door a pinch, cut my eyes to the sleeping dogs. Koko and Pancho don’t even look up, but Sammy jumps to her feet.

Guilty! She hadn’t learned yet how to…just walk away from that waddling, black and white ground rat.

“Ah, it was you, wasn’t it!” We can’t always fix on the right dog right away because skunk spray is in the air and hits us from every direction.

James reachs across me and pushes the door shut. “They’re just protecting their territory.”

Sammi’s the youngest, a Catahoula loves strong scents. She’s not afraid to protect us from skunks, but cowers at the door when coyotes sound off in the field.

She gets a bath regularly, every time she trots home from the neighboring pasture, her white coat camouflaged in fresh, green cow manure. So, actually, I could say she’s the cleanest of all the dogs.

The patio smells…well, eyes are watering. I close the distance between the door and the cabinet where dog leashes are kept. She can’t see it coming–it has to be a surprise, or she’ll run. The distrust! A bath can take all day. These dogs know when they stink. I love a bath. What’s wrong with them?

We draw a special bath. A treat! A recipe of hydrogen peroxide, white vinegar, and a healthy splotch of Dawn dish detergent mixed in a gallon of warm water…no matter the weather. We’re all deep in it by the end.

I reach for the leash and hide it behind my back as James casually takes Sammy’s collar while Koko, the Shepard splits. She’s run through the left-open door and flops on her house-bed smelling every bit as bad as Sami. It takes a few days for the house to air out.