Skunked

Silly Abby has not learned her lesson to leave the skunks alone. The past few weeks, she has made herself comfortable on the porch instead of going into the garage at bedtime. Last night while she was cozy and ready for her night watch, I mentioned that I hope she didn't get sprayed. ugh!

Being awoken at four in the morning to the smell of skunk is normal around here. Skunks get spooked and spray. Last night was different. It was eye watering, nose burning, throat gagging, gross. The odor blew through our house like a tornado infecting everyone with it's pungent blow. We turned the fans around in the windows and checked on the dog. Abby was frantically rolling around and rubbing her face and body all over our front porch. Blah! I climbed back in bed and stuffed my head under my pillow. 

Our crazy girl gets sprayed a couple times a year. Last year, she was sprayed while we were picking blackberries. Thanks to Abby, our berry picking was cut short. Because of her antics, I've kept our trusty de-skunker recipe at arms reach.

 

It's super-easy to throw together and works better than anything else we've tried. A quart of 3% peroxide, a little less than 1/2 cup baking soda, and a squirt of dish soap works great. I quickly mix it in a bucket and dump it on our dry, stinky dog. The chemical reaction works quickly, so the solution needs to be used immediately. 













Next, I rub the solution in with my rubber gloves and let it sit a few minutes.

I allow her to run around and roll on the ground to get it good and incorporated on her coat. She thinks she's getting the soap off.  

After a few minutes, I rinse the solution and let her shake dry. She smells much better, but still a bit skunky. Skunky enough that she can't come in the house yet. I could do another rinse, but usually the smell is gone by the end of the day. I think she's happy with the results.