Skunk Attack!
By Jim Willis on May 15, 2008 in Personal | Printable Version
No doubt readers and followers of this blog will assume by the title that I’m referring to local or state politicians. While that may be true (they’re skunks!), I’m taking a slight detour today and talking about something personal–our dog Chico. Last night our 5 1/2 pound Chihuahua–who thinks he’s a 120 pound German Sheppard–went out to “do his duty” and found a skunk in the backyard. He immediately started barking and went after the skunk. The skunk won.
We heard yelping and thought Chico had a run-in with a dog or cat or some other beast. The smell had not yet hit us, so we let him back into the house where he promptly dragged his body all over the carpeted floors to try and escape the burning sensation and extreme smell. Once we realized what had happened, I grabbed him and gave him several baths in the bathtub. We looked up remedies on the Internet and tried one on him (it helped some–hydrogen peroxide, baking soda and dish soap). I also used the dog shampoo we have for him. However, this morning the smell is still extremely strong on Chico.
We now have a smelly house–and we were planning an open house for this Sunday! Needless to say the open house is canceled. We’re borrowing a carpet cleaner from a friend to deep clean the carpets. My plea here: If any of you has had this experience, or you’ve heard of/tried remedies for getting the smell out of a house once an animal has brought it inside…please share! Also, any thoughts you may have about getting the smell off the dog, where the odor is still extremely strong, please let me know. Leave a comment or send me an email at jim@rssbinghamton.com.
Technorati Tags: skunk attack, skunk smell, skunk smell dog, skunk smell house, skunk smell carpet
Jennifer Willis | May 15, 2008 | Reply
Well, that stinks. (Doh! Sorry, brother, I couldn’t resist) Have you Febreezed the house? Sorry about the open house. The story is a little funny, though. Just a little.
Jim Willis | May 15, 2008 | Reply
Thanks sis. Yes, using Febreeze and baking soda too. We’ll deep clean the carpets today or tomorrow. I just had a great tip from our realtor about getting the smell off the dog: Give him a bath in Scope mouthwash. She knew a vet that swore by it (something in the formula that neutralizes the smell). So we’ll give that a try too. Keep the comments coming!
Brent Beckley | May 15, 2008 | Reply
Jim:
As you may know, I’ve had the same problem several times… Go to Wegmans,and in the next to last aisle, they have a skunk deodorizing product at the end of the pet aisle right near the back of the store. IT WORKS very well for carpets, fabrics, etc. and you can spray it right onto the surfaces. However, probably not good for the ankle biter. We always used the baking soda, H202 concoction, but found that concentrated Dawn dishwashing liquid worked the best.
Of note, our ankle biter attacked a 140 pound Rottweiler yesterday and bit it on the face. We think she was trying to protect Stephen who was trying to pet the dog… Poor Rottweiler, he was completely scared by our 16 pound Miniature Pinscher. That said, she’s not the brightest dog and has lost THREE skunk battles in the past 4 years.
Good luck.
Jim Willis | May 15, 2008 | Reply
Thanks Brent! Very helpful. Glad to hear that Stephen is OK. Yes, these little mutts are at the bottom of the gene pool no doubt, but fiercely loyal and protective of the family. Gotta love ‘em.
Annie | May 17, 2008 | Reply
LOL! I knew I was smelling skunk this week!!! Sorry about the new fragrance in your home, but hopefully the ferocious ankle-biter learned a lesson??
Annie | May 17, 2008 | Reply
Ok, so I am still greatly chuckling at the mental pictures your fabulous storytelling gave me! Keep up the good work!
Jim Willis | May 18, 2008 | Reply
Thanks the comment Annie. I’ve had several friends and family members say the same thing. Something along the lines of, “I hate to say this, but I really had a good laugh at your post about the skunk.” That’s the point! A good laugh…well, that and to get some good advice (and forewarn churchgoers we may be sporting a different fragrance this week).