Some day I'll laugh about this....
About 11:15 a.m., I heard my German shepherd start barking like he meant business, so I rushed to the laundry room door and started outside to check it out. He was right there on the breezeway, barking at something in the corner. Our oldest English setter was there too, scrambling out of the same corner.
So I looked to the left, into the corner...and started saying some VERY unlady-like words as I hurriedly backed back into the laundryroom. The young skunk, who was itself backed into the corner 5' away from me, immediately squirmed its rear sideways and sprayed right at my face and chest.
It was one of those slow motion moments in life. I could see the droplets coming, but I couldn't get out of the way fast enough. The spray droplets were not small, but rather large. Interestingly, skunk spray up close and personal smells different...and it seemed to take a little while to really get fully fragrant.
I won't bore you with the rest of my activities today, but suffice it to say that most of them revolved around de-aromatizing myself, my clothes, the dogs, the breezeway, etc. etc. I found a recipe that worked fairly well, but it still took time and a lot of work. Unfortunately, too, I had to walk around the kitchen putting together the ingredients and now I find that every drawer handle and every surface I touched has to be decontaminated. Based on my mother's nose, I'm now skunk-free, but both dogs still have a little around their muzzles and the breezeway is better, but not totally skunk-free. I get small whiffs throughout the kitchen, too. More fun tomorrow, I guess.
Someday I'll laugh....
I guess this is too soon to regale you with tales of our delightful skunk, Flower. Hubby had the vet remove her scent sac at a very young age and she became our beloved house pet - very intelligent and charming.
ReplyDeleteDid your formula include tomato juice? Perhaps you could market your recipe. You might make a small fortune.
Seriously, I'm feeling your pain - especially, the pain of a wasted day.
No to the tomato juice. After some serious web research (actually accomplished about 3 months ago when I first saw a skunk in the yard), we learned that the best formula is
ReplyDelete1 qt. hydrogen peroxide
1/4 c. baking soda
2 tsp. liquid dish soap
Mix it and apply liberally, letting it sit for 10 minutes or more, but being sure not to get it in eyes or on fabrics that will bleach out with the peroxide. Rinse and repeat, if necessary.
This formula worked quite well, although finding EVERY surface that needs to be deskunked is proving a little challenging.
As far as Flower.... Actually, deep in the recesses of my brain as I was trying to duck for cover there was a brief thought about how cute the little skunk was, and how similar to a young cat. Things are still awfully fresh, though, to be even remotely considering one as a pet.
Umm...I know it was traumatic for you, but...
ReplyDeleteFunniest. Story. Ever.