K2K9.com

Skunked!

Date: Tuesday, October 10, 2000 8:58 AM (Hobie was ten months old)

Well, I couldn't think of a better story to share with you than what happened to us this morning at 3:30 a.m. STRESS ANYONE???

Every night, around 2:30 or 3:30, Hobie wakes me up because heneeds to go relieve himself. Well, after nearly five months of this, I'm becoming weary of having to get dressed, hook up the leash, and walk him in the middle of the night. I've always hesitated to let him loose because he doesn't do well with cars.

But, last night, (this morning) I had left the leash outside on the railing, and I figured "what the hell?" I'd let him loose.

So, out the door he goes, and I'm in my nightgown, and putting on my slippers. I figured I'd stand out there and watch him.

Right there, sitting in our driveway is a SKUNK! Of course, Hobie made a bee-line right for it. At first, I thought it was David's cat, Buddy (he's all white), because I saw the big white tail. Then, I saw how the thing was moving, and I said: "that's not a cat... that's a... that's a.... SKUNK!!!!!! Oh! Shit!"

Meanwhile, Hobie got a nose full of skunk juice, and was rolling all over the place on the ground.

Now, I had to go try to catch him, which meant walking through the "cloud" of skunk spray. So, I caught him, and then I put the wrong leash on him, and he got away, and I had to catch him again. I finally got him tied out on the run, and then went inside the house. At this point, I can't smell anything anymore.

I wake up Gil and say: "Can you tell me if you smell anything?" To which he replies, "Skunk." As I'm standing in the bedroom REEKING of skunk, apparently.

So I run down into the basement, throw nightgown and sweatshirt in a corner, throw the slippers, coat and gloves outside, and go back upstairs to find more clothes.

Since I reeked so badly, I had no choice but to send Gil to the Price Chopper for tomato juice, peroxide and baking soda, plus other assorted things to neutralize odors. That is a whole separate story in itself, as he has only been in the damn place once before. Remember: it's 4 in the morning! So, off he goes, in the Jag, which also REEKS because the skunk smell permeated everything and everyone within a 100 yard radius. (By the way, it still smells outside 5 hours later, according to Mike!). Even the cars got it, with the windows CLOSED.

So, Gil goes to Price Chopper, and instructs me to go on the internet and find out what removes skunk odors other than tomato juice. He then calls me from Price Chopper, where they have the musack BLARING at 4:00 a.m., and I can barely hear him. I tell him I learned of the peroxide and baking soda remedy, and he is off with his list of goodies.

AN HOUR LATER he returns (remember, he's never had to shop here before!). Meanwhile, I've discovered that I have enough peroxide and baking soda for one dosage, and have already suited up myself for the bath.

Since I'd lost 20 pounds, I threw away all my old clothes a few weeks ago, so I had NOTHING that I could dispose of. The slippers were already ruined and reeked, so I didn't want to put them on again. While I was looking for my raincoat (figured I could just get soaking wet right along with the dog), I stumbled across some clothes that Abby had left here.

I threw on a t-shirt, a pair of pants, and an old "Christmas" sweater, with my raincoat on top, and a pair of rubber gloves. For shoes, I parted with a pair of socks, and put on another pair of slippers that Hobie had already chewed, but I did not throw away for some reason. Good thing! I had nothing else "sparable."

Off I go, into the back yard, with Hobie on the 30 foot run, and a hose. It is about 30 degrees out -- the coldest night of the season so far. Doesn't it figure? Timba is following us, thinking it's time for our morning walk.

So, I give Hobie one dousing of the peroxide mixture. Then it has to stay on for 5 minutes. When I go to rinse him off, it's pandemonium. He wants no part of cold, hard, water when it's 30 degrees outside. And neither do I. By this time, Gil is back, and I am holding the dog while he sprays thehose. Still not working. I've fallen twice, and am covered with mud.

Gil suggests going into the house, and putting the dog in the tub so that the water is warmer. Ok, but then the house will reek. Oh well, what the hell. So, I get into the tub, clothes, raincoat, rubber gloves, and all, and rinse him off.

Then we make the second peroxide mixture. I finally take off the shoes and socks (this is ridiculous!), and pour the next mixture onto Hobie.

That stays on for another 5 minutes, but at least we're warm now. At this point, we're laughing. Gil is trying to make a fire in the fireplace and get the skunk smell out of the house using various powders and Febreze and stuff.

Hobie then gets the tomato juice bath. Memories of Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho" go through my head. This is a white dog. He is now orange.

Gil comes in and says: "Great, now all I smell is tomato juice. It must be working." I said, "I wonder how many other people have said that in dog history??!" I told him to take a picture, but I guess he thought better of it.

Finally, I wash Hobie one more time with oatmeal doggie shampoo that Gil picked up (good for him!!), and let that stay on for 10 minutes while Hobies whines. At this point, he wants outta that tub!

Then I had to dry him.

He's fine now, except for a small cut on his nose that he got from rubbing his nose on the ground for 30 minutes. Plus he's got an orange tint to him!

Now I have to wash all the laundry in vinegar. Some things I threw away, but our night clothes got it the worst. Even Gil, who just stepped outside 10 minutes after it happened to see how the dog was. His pajama shirt reeked! Otherwise, any clothing lying around the house got permeated with the smell, and also needs to be washed. That's about 10 loads of laundry right there. The Abby clothes I threw away, along with the two pairs of slippers, a pair of gloves, and a towel.

Timba received a swipe of skunk smell by "osmosis" as she too walked through the "cloud". Since we can't give her a water bath, I had to go back up to the store and get some dry powder shampoo stuff and hope that works. She just has a touch of scent on her, not like poor Hobie who got dosed but good.

Wonder how long I'll make it through the work day today? Gil went back to bed.

Well, this one'll go down in the history books. And, guess what? I'll be walking Hobie, with a leash, or I'll be telling him to go back to bed from now on!