Last night The VP and I took the boys to see The Incredibles. I thought I'd be bored. Instead, I was riveted. When The Governor decided half way through that he wanted to go home, I nearly cried. Good movie. Or at least the first half was.
The night did get better. At home, I got out of the car and was bowled over by the unmistakable smell of skunk. One of the foul rodents must have squeezed through the backyard fence and tangoed with the dog. The inside of the house smelled just as bad. Threw the dog in the tub and tried a de-skunking recipe I cut out of the paper. Allegedly, a mixture of baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, and dish soap is supposed to work miracles. God must have changed to a quota system because the dog still stinks.
This morning The Gov and I had our early childhood class together, so I threw all the windows open before we left hoping the house would air out a bit. Never considered the overcast skies. You guessed it. Rain.
Finally, I'm watching one of The Governor's little friends for the day. This kid, if you can believe it possible, makes The Governor look like Mother Teresa on Valium. So far, however, it's been fine. Nothing broken yet. Of course it's only noon. I'm not expecting the parents to reclaim him until dinner time. No problem, though. If it was the other way round, I wouldn't reclaim The Governor until Friday.
Posted by Cathy at November 10, 2004 12:30 PMSend the governor over to our house anytime...oh wait, will my hubby still want children after that? Just kidding! Anytime you need to drop him by!
Posted by: Paula at November 10, 2004 02:19 PMI think skunks are members of the weasel family, not rodent.
I've heard that tomato juice is somewhat effective at neutralising skunk odour. I'vre read elsewhere that it's ineffective. Since your miracle formula has failed to give the desired results, you might give it a shot.
You have my sympathy, babysitting The Governor's evil twin. I'd recommend a dose of spiritous liquor, to be repeated as necessary. And don't forget to get something for yourself.
Hope your face is feeling better.
Posted by: aelfheld at November 10, 2004 06:43 PMThanks for the offer, Paula! (I thought you guys wanted to have kids...The Gov will cure you of that, guaranteed.)
Hello, Aelfheld! Weasel family, huh? Oh well, they both belong on the receiving end of my shotgun.
I've also heard mixed reviews of the tomato juice solution. The sure-fire remedy is to just leave the dog outside for a few weeks. But when I look out on the back porch and see him shivering and looking pathetic...I'm back to tomato juice. And frankly, I'm starting to get used to the smell.
Hope all is well down south.
Posted by: Cathy at November 10, 2004 06:59 PMIf you're going to shoot a skunk, have a piece of canvas tarpaulin on hand. An animal control officer told me that if you shoot a skunk you've got about thirty seconds before you're graced with a parting blast - if you can toss a tarp over it you can confine the gas cloud.
I figured the weather in your area was a bit too chilly for Hoocher to spend much time being aired out. Hopefully tomato juice can at least take the edge off the pong.
We're going to be dropping into the 30's by tomorrow night (it was 76°F at 6:00 tonight). I don't mind the seasons changing, but in Texas they don't give you much warning.
Posted by: aelfheld at November 10, 2004 10:37 PMI shot a skunk. It did spray, but I shot it from a distance of about 6 feet, so I didn't wear the odor with me for the rest of my shift, and I was smart enough (surprise surprise) to be up wind when I shot it.
Posted by: Aunt S at November 11, 2004 12:12 PMThe skunk spray is oil based. A few years back my golden got sprayed nearly point blank. I carried her into the house and washed her twice with Head & Shoulders shampoo. This was about 9:30 at night. The dog was in bed with me at 11:30 when my wife got home and she couldn't tell the dog had been sprayed.
Posted by: SteveB at November 12, 2004 10:13 AMThe key to shooting skunks without them spraying is to sever the spinal column near the head. No nerves, no spray.
Posted by: DaveP at November 15, 2004 03:25 PM