Saturday night is quiet.\u00a0 Just me and my hubby hanging out enjoying a little quiet time together.\u00a0 About 10 o\u2019clock, Sascha needs to go out for the evening.\u00a0 We talk about going to bed soon.\u00a0 Sascha wants to go and stretch her legs around the yard.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure she will be some squatting and depositing her last of the evening.<\/p>\n
It is cold out.\u00a0 I go through the usual routine of having Sascha sit on the rug.\u00a0 She knows she has to sit and stay before I can open the door.\u00a0 She sat and looked pretty proud of herself for doing it.\u00a0 The door came open and up she popped to bounce out the door.\u00a0 In the little garage, Sascha did a couple of hops and twists.\u00a0 She always seems so happy to go out.<\/p>\n
At the back door, she poked me in the back of the knees.\u00a0 It\u2019s her way of saying I wasn\u2019t moving fast enough.\u00a0 That impatient Border Collie likes things to move at her pace and not mine.\u00a0 I grab her collar so I can ensure she doesn\u2019t dash out the door before I can hook on the lead.\u00a0 That rambunctious Husky would run and run until she\u2019s tired.\u00a0 Then she\u2019d stop to look around and see where she was, miles from home.<\/p>\n
The hook clasps onto the D ring on her collar.\u00a0 I hold on to the lead and stick my head out of the door.\u00a0 \u201cYahoo,\u201d I yell.\u00a0 \u201cLook out world, here she comes!\u201d\u00a0 She darts out of the door and slinks into stealth mode on silent feet over to the deck.\u00a0 Her nose goes in between the stairs as she tests to be sure whether her quarry is still under there or not.<\/p>\n
He must not be hope at the moment.\u00a0 Sascha dances off around the snow pile and out into the snowy yard.\u00a0 She prances around and flips snow around her.\u00a0 Finally, she circles the empty patch of yard that has been exposed by the daytime sunlight.\u00a0 First, it\u2019s the squat.\u00a0 There is another circle around the patch of yard before she picks just the right spot for the last bit of action.<\/p>\n
I stand in the doorway calling out, \u201cSascha, come here, Sascha!\u201d\u00a0 Of course, she ignores me.\u00a0 She heads toward me and then veers off toward Rich\u2019s garage.\u00a0 Her nose goes up and I see the hackles on her back go up.\u00a0 I heard the coyotes earlier howling.\u00a0 I hope they aren\u2019t stalking the roads just yet.\u00a0 Her nose goes higher and she starts sniffing really fast.\u00a0 What in the heck!\u00a0 I call out some more and try to entice her to head on into the house.<\/p>\n
Suddenly, something small and furry steps out from the doghouse.\u00a0 Sascha\u2019s head whips around toward me.\u00a0 I see her eyes go wide and she gets that silly grin on her face.\u00a0 She is thinking, \u201csmall and furry thing!\u201d\u00a0 I look down and see the small and furry thing moving very fast in front of me.\u00a0 Now, my eyes get wide.\u00a0 Skunk!<\/p>\n
I swear that Sascha came across the driveway in a single bound to grab the skunk by the back of the neck!\u00a0 I scream really loud and slam the door shut.\u00a0 I just can\u2019t stand there waiting to get sprayed.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m off like a flash racing for the back door into the house.\u00a0 \u201cOh my god!\u201d I yell as I come into the kitchen. \u201cThe skunk is back and Sascha has him.\u201d\u00a0 Rich jumps up and comes running toward me.\u00a0 I head for the hallway closet to get the supplies for the preparedness kit.\u00a0 The groomer gave me a recipe for a neutralizer in case Sascha ever got skunked.\u00a0 Thankfully, I got the supplies and had them on hand.\u00a0 How did I know?<\/p>\n
Rich ran to get a bucket to use for the mixture.\u00a0 I got the peroxide, Dawn, and baking soda from the closet.\u00a0 I look for a sponge under the kitchen sink.\u00a0 We look over the recipe and talk about the expected results.\u00a0 I run to the closet to find old clothes I can throw away and change quickly.\u00a0 Then I leave the kitchen and let Rich put together the ingredients in the blue bucket.\u00a0 Time to find out where Sascha is and how bad it is out there.<\/p>\n
I walk to the garage door on the driveway.\u00a0 Looking through the mullioned panes, I don\u2019t see her or the skunk.\u00a0 I slowly open the door and stick my head out.\u00a0 Nope, no black dog or black and white small and furry thing around.\u00a0 I move out around the snow pile.\u00a0 There is Sascha out in the yard holding down her new friend.<\/p>\n
I start to yell for Sascha.\u00a0 She is just way too happy out there.\u00a0 The fluffy tail is wagging and her head is bobbing up and down.\u00a0 She is playing with the skunk.\u00a0 Unfortunately, the skunk is lying out flat.\u00a0 Is he dead?\u00a0 No, wait.\u00a0 His head comes up and his tail comes up.\u00a0 Sascha seems to laugh and slaps him back down with her huge paw.\u00a0 That can\u2019t be good.\u00a0 She reaches out and grabs him by the scruff of the neck.\u00a0 I can\u2019t hear laughter, but she seems to have the body posture for laughter.\u00a0 She\u2019s enjoying herself.<\/p>\n
So the skunk is not dead.\u00a0 That\u2019s bad.\u00a0 I have to try and get her away from him.\u00a0 I walk out past the slab in front of Rich\u2019s garage.\u00a0 Sascha\u2019s line stretches out over my head.\u00a0 With my hand up way over my head, I walk until I snag the line.\u00a0 I start trying to reel Sascha in and she fights me every step of the way.\u00a0 She stops and digs in her feet to stop me from pulling her.\u00a0 I can\u2019t drag her any closer and she tries to slip out of her collar.\u00a0 Darn dog!<\/p>\n
I shift my weight and yank really hard.\u00a0 Sascha comes forward toward me about a half a foot.\u00a0 I get my footing and pull her again.\u00a0 Now I can drag her toward me.\u00a0 I keep reeling her in toward me.\u00a0 She lunges backwards and almost pulls me over.\u00a0 I catch myself and dig in my heels.\u00a0 Two stubborn females can put up quite the battle, but I\u2019m winning this one.<\/p>\n
I manage to get Sascha all the way to the driveway.\u00a0 Now I had to hold her there.\u00a0 She is barking and jumping around like crazy.\u00a0 Calm down, you nut!\u00a0 By the time I haul Sascha to the house, Rich is outside with the bucket and sponge.\u00a0 Time to start swabbing down the crazy dog.<\/p>\n
I hook my hand through Sascha\u2019s collar and reach for the sponge in the bucket.\u00a0 The water is nice in warm and it is freezing cold outside.\u00a0 This is going to be fun.\u00a0 I start at Sascha\u2019s head and dab on the soapy mixture.\u00a0 As I reach into the bucket, I look up to check on the skunk.\u00a0 Oh my god, he is up on his feet and walking toward us.\u00a0 What does he think he\u2019s going to do, kick Sascha\u2019s butt?<\/p>\n
I yell for Rich to do something to stop the skunk.\u00a0 What would that be?\u00a0 I send Rich inside for a flashlight.\u00a0 I figure shining a light on the skunk might stop him.\u00a0 Luckily, the skunk changes his mind and starts to totter off to the deck.\u00a0 He is going back into hiding.\u00a0 Really?\u00a0 He\u2019s probably just going under there to die!<\/p>\n
Rich can\u2019t convince the skunk to stop his tottering.\u00a0 The skunk is probably in pain.\u00a0 He is just thinking about getting to safety now.\u00a0 I have to say he is a lot slower now than he was when he tried to run by me earlier.<\/p>\n
Rich waves good-bye to the skunk and hooks up the water hose.\u00a0 I keep working solution into the thick Husky fur.\u00a0 Sascha is still trying to jump and dance around.\u00a0 She\u2019s not ready to let the skunk slink off to lick his wounds.\u00a0 She almost pulls me over to the ground.\u00a0 Somehow, I catch myself and get my feet back under me.\u00a0 I\u2019m still more stubborn than she is mad.<\/p>\n
Rich holds the bucket while I dunk Sascha\u2019s tail in and swish it around.\u00a0 I massage in the solution that I\u2019ve applied.\u00a0 Time to apply more solution to the face and down the body.\u00a0 Rich gets the nozzle ready for the first spray.\u00a0 The water is cold, but it should do its job.\u00a0 Sascha stops for a minute when the water falls over her.\u00a0 Then she starts fighting back to keep from being dowsed well.\u00a0 I hook my hand in a little bit deeper and hang on for dear life.\u00a0 With the other hand, I squeegee soap mixture and water through thick dog hair.<\/p>\n
We think we have the first dose washed off and try to see if Sascha still smells.\u00a0 Yep, that is a definite.\u00a0 I drag the dog back over to the bucket and start applying solution again.\u00a0 Sascha is a little calmer, but doesn\u2019t want to stand still.\u00a0 She moves around and tries her best to avoid the sponge.\u00a0 No way! \u00a0You do the crime, then you put in the time.<\/p>\n
One more soak down with solutions.\u00a0 Rich is standing by with the hose and ready to rinse.\u00a0 I drag Sascha over to rinse down again.\u00a0 We work together against her best efforts to shrug us off.\u00a0 Finally, the water is running clearer.\u00a0 The sniff test indicates Sascha doesn\u2019t smell as strong.\u00a0 There is still the question about whether she is skunk free or not.<\/p>\n
All that solution and rinsing has left a he puddle of ice forming on the driveway.\u00a0 I am slipping and sliding as I try to hold Sascha.\u00a0 She is still trying to get back to the yard to look for her little friend.\u00a0 That isn\u2019t going to happen.\u00a0 Time to drag this dog into the workshop.\u00a0 Rich brought the crate up from the basement.\u00a0 Unfortunately, Sascha is spending the night out here until we can determine her scent status.\u00a0 She could potentially contaminate the whole house.<\/p>\n
Rich grabs Sascha by the collar and leverages her into the crate.\u00a0 She is not happy.\u00a0 There is a lot of whining and crying.\u00a0 Oh no, she is most definitely not happy.\u00a0 In the meantime, we stop and get our breath.\u00a0 Too soon for that though.\u00a0 The workshop smells like skunk!\u00a0 We figure the skunk started to spray when Sascha first grabbed him just outside of the door.\u00a0 That makes it right in front of the outside wall of the workshop.\u00a0 Great.\u00a0 Now we hope the smell doesn\u2019t make its way inside the house.<\/p>\n
Back out in the driveway, we start picking up buckets and sponges.\u00a0 The water is solidified into a sheet of ice.\u00a0 I walk gingerly around it to gather things up.\u00a0 My pants legs are soaking wet from slinging water and solution.\u00a0 My sweatshirt sleeves are dripping wet.\u00a0 Now that I\u2019m no longer struggling with a wet dog, I\u2019m cold!<\/p>\n
We finish the clean up and move inside.\u00a0 I strip off the wet clothes and grab a robe from the laundry room.\u00a0 Nice to have these hanging here for the hot tub.\u00a0 I don\u2019t have to wander through the house in wet and smelly clothes.\u00a0 Next, I get a garbage bag and pile my clothes into it.\u00a0 These are toast.\u00a0 No point in keeping these.\u00a0 It\u2019s out to the garbage can in the garage with these things.\u00a0 Sascha whines as I walk by her.<\/p>\n
Back in the house, I try to warm up.\u00a0 The adrenaline is wearing off and I start to relive the incident.\u00a0 Rich asks questions and I try to answer them.\u00a0 He asks why I didn\u2019t announce that Sascha was coming out of the door.\u00a0 I explain that I was trying to bring her in and not put her out.\u00a0 I told him how the skunk tried to run past the door on his way to the deck stairs.\u00a0 That\u2019s how he got in and out from that side of the driveway.\u00a0 On the other side, he climbed over Rick\u2019s kayak and around the side of the house.<\/p>\n
Remember a couple of weeks ago, Rich and I came home late one night.\u00a0 I hit the garage door opener and turned into the driveway.\u00a0 The skunk was walking in front of the door at just that time.\u00a0 We surprised him and he ran into the garage.\u00a0 I had to back out and turn off the headlights.\u00a0 He eventually made his way out of the garage and ran around the front of the house.\u00a0 I assume he took the back way to the deck.\u00a0 I should have known one of these days he would try coming around while Sascha was out.\u00a0 I guess that day came.<\/p>\n
On Sunday morning, we rescue Sascha from her crate.\u00a0 She is upset, but seems unharmed.\u00a0 While she is outside, I run to the drug store for more supplies.\u00a0 We plan to soak her down again.\u00a0 I got another collar while I was out.\u00a0 We figure that one on Sascha was toast.\u00a0 No point in keeping the stinky thing.<\/p>\n
Back at the house, Rich grabs Sascha and gets her downstairs to the basement.\u00a0 I shut the doors to the back room and Rich puts the dog into the utility sink.\u00a0 Time for round two to begin.\u00a0 Rich is in charge of applying solution and working it in.\u00a0 I\u2019m in the support role this time and maneuver the dog so solution can be applied to all areas.\u00a0 Then it is time for the rinse.\u00a0 Like they say, rinse and repeat.\u00a0 We manage to get another cycle in.<\/p>\n
With towels applied to all part of the dog, we stand back to admire our handiwork.\u00a0 Sascha is finally happy.\u00a0 Amazingly, there is little odor.\u00a0 The only spot we can tell there is a problem is the nose.\u00a0 We figure she took in spray through her nose and mouth.\u00a0 That means that she has scent in those linings and not much you can do about that.<\/p>\n
I find an older cover to throw over the couch and Sascha settles in to link her wet paws.\u00a0 For now, the plan is for Sascha to spend some time in the basement to be sure that she doesn\u2019t regenerate that skunky smell again.\u00a0 Since she is upset about being left by herself, I join her on the couch and hang out for a while.\u00a0 It has been a long and rough few hours for her.\u00a0 After an hour, Sascha still smells like Dawn.\u00a0 That is a good sign.\u00a0 Of course, her face still smells bad.<\/p>\n
After a quick conference, we agree that she can come back upstairs.\u00a0 There is no red chair time, of course.\u00a0 That means her face is too close to your own.\u00a0 She moves around the house lying in the sun and under Rich\u2019s desk.\u00a0 It is almost back to normal.<\/p>\n
We did worry about injuries that Sascha might have gotten from the skunk or from the treatment.\u00a0 After an inspection, I don\u2019t find any scratches, bites, or scrapes.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know how, but she came out of the experience unscathed.\u00a0 That is if you don\u2019t count the intervention on the scent.\u00a0 I call the vet to make sure I don\u2019t need to take her in.\u00a0 They don\u2019t want her in the office if she isn\u2019t hurt.\u00a0 I think they are worried about the possible smell.\u00a0 I assure them she is almost totally scent free.\u00a0 I don\u2019t think they believe me.\u00a0 She isn\u2019t hurt, so there is no need for the long ride to their office.\u00a0 I put in a call to the groomer so she is aware of the situation and can call me on Monday.<\/p>\n
Monday morning came.\u00a0 Rich felt that he was safe to return to work.\u00a0 I still wonder if I smell like skunk a bit. \u00a0I was first line of defense.\u00a0 That makes me a little leery of walking into the office.\u00a0 I stay at home.\u00a0 I need to talk to the groomer to try and schedule an appointment for a real bath.\u00a0 Lorraine calls me and we talk.\u00a0 I thank her for the preparedness kit.\u00a0 It was a lifesaver.\u00a0 Monday is busy, but one of the groomers will come by on Tuesday to bath and check Sascha out.<\/p>\n
During the day, I run out to buy a new lead for outside. \u00a0I realize my hand smells like skunk whenever I put Sascha out.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t stop to think about the condition of the lead prior to that.\u00a0 While I\u2019m at the pet store, I look for something to help with bad breath.\u00a0 I just don\u2019t know if it will help with skunk breath.<\/p>\n
Every time I put Sascha out, I look very carefully for the little black and white friend.\u00a0 They usually only come out at dusk, but I still worry.\u00a0 This evening, I made lots of noise and looked for him everywhere.\u00a0 It won\u2019t help though.\u00a0 We were making lots of noise when he tried to rush by us.\u00a0 Stupid skunk!<\/p>\n
So it was a quiet Saturday.\u00a0 Then it wasn\u2019t.\u00a0 I figure when the weather warms up, we\u2019ll know whether the skunk made it or not.<\/p>\n
P.S. Rich plans to pour ammonia into the cracks of the deck to chase out anything that could be living.\u00a0 We might see Sascha\u2019s little friend sooner, if he made it through the night.<\/p>\n
Sorry, there are no pictures for any of this. \u00a0Probably a good thing though.<\/p>\n
Maybe there is a blues song in this story. \u00a0Wonder what that would sound like? \u00a0Would it be a boogie we could call the Skunk Boogie or just the Sascha Skunk Solution Blues?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Saturday night is quiet.\u00a0 Just me and my hubby hanging out enjoying a little quiet time together.\u00a0 About 10 o\u2019clock, Sascha needs to go out for the evening.\u00a0 We talk about going to bed soon.\u00a0 Sascha wants to go and stretch her legs around the yard.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure she will be some squatting and depositing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3,12,14],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3452"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3452"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3452\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3454,"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3452\/revisions\/3454"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3452"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3452"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3452"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}