Oh What A Night

Last night, around 11:30 pm as I was finishing up the second episode of The Killing, Darcy expressed an urgent need to go out. Little did I know that a skunk lurked nearby.

Anyway, she picked a fight, got skunked and smells awful...so does my house, garage and about an acre and a half of the area where I live. I think I smell too.

When the incident occurred, I woke my husband from his peaceful sleep. He did the search for the skunk, assuming Darcy had killed it. So far, even in the morning light, no sign of the skunk, only some white fur and a tad of black -- evidence of the scuffle. I feel pretty confident that the skunk survived. 

I just hope it does not strike again. I know Darcy is dumb enough to take the skunk on if they should encounter one another. In fact, this is the second time Darcy has been skunked. The last time was two years ago and the smell stayed with her for over a year, becoming particularly pungent when it rained and moisture hung in the air.

After the skunking occurred I jumped into action. Armed with water, peroxide and baking soda, I washed Darcy. (I heard this recipe works better than tomato juice. I am now convinced nothing works).

Years ago, when our German Shepherd, Bartholomew, got skunked, we did not know what happened. The scent was like nothing we had ever smelled before and we thought Barth had been attacked with mace. We called Poison Control and the attendant asked if we ever smelled fresh skunk. They told us the next day we would smell the familiar skunk stink but when it first happens it is more of a musky, incredibly unpleasant, nasty smell. Now I know the smell only too well.

With Barth we did not have any tomato juice and did not know about peroxide/baking soda. We used what we had, at the time, chunky Ragu tomato sauce. I can still see those little chunks of onion, pepper and carrot on Barth’s fur as we struggled, to no avail, to get rid of that God-awful smell. (Ragu sauce never looked the same after that).

When I finished the midnight bath for Darcy, we retreated to the bed. I had a bad night sleeping. Even with all the windows wide open and the fan blasting Darcy stank, my room stank and, my sheets stank. I barely slept.

When I got up in the morning, I had what I thought was a brilliant idea -- Peppermint Soap. I figure Dr. Bronner lists a zillion uses for his soap on the packaging so why not removing skunk smell from a dog. I washed Darcy again, this time in a diluted peppermint soap bath. Now the stench has a nice, minty tinge to it. 

By the way, last night Darcy hated the hose off, but this morning she seemed to rather enjoy it. When I brushed her, she was in heaven and even set her haunches down to allow herself to be coiffed. Then I brushed her teeth and she smiled.

So the long and short of this story -- 1. I wonder why I love dogs. 2. I am glad no one is coming to visit me (except my daughter who will unfortunately have to bear the smell), and 3. I am glad I am not hosting a wedding at my house.

P.S. I never did get to see the end of the second episode of The Killing. Maybe tonight.