Skuntastic

For thirty three years, I could say that I had never had a dog that had been sprayed by a skunk. Not anymore. Apparently, getting up close and personal with a skunk was on Kiley's bucket list. Oh that dog, I'm telling you.

It was, of course, while The Hubster was away on his annual golf weekend. Chloe was at her grandparent's house and I had the house all to myself. I was really looking forward to a glorious night of sleep. It was 11:30 and I was just in from a fun night of second hand shopping and eating delicious food with my bestie. When I let the dogs out, I thought I could smell a hint of skunk in the air, but honestly I didn't think too much of it. We live in the middle of nowhere, so it's not out of the ordinary for a skunk to be in the hood.

Well, when I let Kiley back in, there was no denying something had happened. It really didn't smell like skunk at all. If it hadn't been for smelling that a few minutes earlier, I never would have made the connection. It totally smelled like burning rubber. It was very strong and very stinky, but not skunky at all. She kept licking her paws and trying to wash her face, which is right where she got sprayed.

Did I mention it was bedtime? Grrrr.... I don't enjoy giving dog baths ever, let alone at 11:30 on MY night. Alone. With all the awesome sleeping. Seriously, dog?

It was just on her head so I lathered it up a bit and tried to wash it off. I even rubbed baking soda on her face. It was tolerable so we went to bed. The next day, once I was pretty much used to the stench, The Hubster's parents came over and the first thing out of his mom's mouth was, "I smell skunked dog."

So that cleared up that mystery...

The next day, The Hubster came home and said the house reeked.

Did I mention I was having a party at my house within a few days? Super fantastic.

The Hubster did some research and washed her with a dish soap, baking soda and peroxide cocktail, and I wish I could say it worked. I really, really wish I could say that.

Since it was on her face, it was hard to really apply it well, and honestly, I think her mouth was wide open when that skunk let loose. It's almost like it's ingrained in the plaque on her teeth. For the most part the fur on her face is back to just a normal smelly dog, but her breath?

Oh. My. Word.

It's like triple turbo tuna breath. Now mind you, she is a 13 year old dog. Her breath is not likely to smell great anyway, but skunk breath on an eldery dog is not something I'd recommend turning into a candle fragrance. Unless you are Shrek, in which case you would probably find it delightful.

So. The moral of the story is if that skunk shows it's stripped face around these parts again? He's going down. And, as if I need another reason to say this, NO MORE DOGS.