"Why?"
It's a question that humankind has been asking
ever since the domestication of dogs.
Why do dogs tangle with ......
?
And why do they never learn their lesson?
I am sure that my dogs believe the bath that they must endure after a skunking
is far worse than the skunk spray.
They seem to wear skunk spray like a badge of honor.
It certainly is not a deterrent.
(But then, neither is the ensuing bath a deterrent.)
Well, you guessed it...
it's skunk season again here on the farm.
Could we actually get through a year without a skunking?
Not bloody likely.
Last evening at 9 PM I removed Annie's "good girl" collar
(don't ask me why I took the collar off first....but I won't do that again!)
and sent her out for her bedtime potty break along with Sam and Oakley.
Five minutes later I went to the door and called them.
Nothing.
Called. Called. Called.
And one thing you should know about me...
I am a human megaphone.
I seriously have never heard anyone who can call louder than I can.
(Maybe that's why I never made it on the cheering squad... I am way too loud!)
It's my special gift.
I called...and I could hear my voice echo through our little valley.
(I am sure everyone within 5 miles could hear me as well.)
Called.... to no avail.
By 10 PM Oakley had returned home (clean),
but no Sam or Annie.
So... we went to bed... knowing that they would awaken us when they arrived home.
And that was 1 AM.
Their stench came home before they did.
Believe me, de-skunking and bathing two dogs was the last thing I wanted to have to do
at 1 AM.
Necessity demanded it, however.
Hubbs and I grabbed the handy skunk kit and got to work.
I have to tell you... if you have dogs, you must bookmark this post.
I am telling you, this formula works.
Before you even begin the bathing process, use several handfuls of Tecnu lotion
and cover the entire area that was sprayed.
This stuff is magic.... it cuts the oil based skunk spray and makes washing so much easier.
Next, get naked and get in the shower with your dog (if he/she is big.)
(You're lucky if your dog is small enough to fit in your sink.)
Use a sponge or cloth soaked in your pre-prepared bucket of:
1 quart hydrogen peroxide
¼ cup baking soda
1 teaspoon dishwashing liquid
and really scrub this mixture into his fur.
Use all of the mixture.
Then rise it off in shower and bathe dog with whatever you normally use....
we use baby shampoo.
Rinse again.
Rinse self.
Dry dog and self.
Pour a glass of wine.
The above procedure is foolproof!
Needless to say....the "good dog" collars are back on both of them!
Maybe in his old age Oakley has learned better.
He was quite happy to not be included in the wee hours bathing session.
In the 10+ years that I have written this blog,
I believe I have written about this 20+ times!
Enough, now!
Comments
I only have one skunk story and it's not about any of my dogs. It's on my blog about a friends dog. He was so Country. And, any story he told always had us rolling.
http://msredneck.blogspot.com/2008/12/lavender-potpourri-skunk-scented-dog.html
Bad doggies, you would think they would learn by now.
My mother's recipe for the dog was always a baking soda and tomato juice 'bath'...lol It didn't do much! xo Diana
Jessi