Mephitis attack!

Well, my Monday didn't start out the way I had hoped. It wasn't that great for Jean either, but I think Luna and Gary got the worst of it. Here's the scene. It's 5:10am, it's pouring out, and I'm up to get my day on. I go downstairs to start coffee, and of course I let the dogs out to do their thing.

Unfortunately, a skunk was meandering through the yard (to his home that I now know is under my deck). Gary and Luna BOUNDED off the back porch and into the yard, and within seconds, the melee was over. Gary actually caught the skunk and had it in his mouth. Needless to say, that didn't last long as the skunk defended himself the best way he knows how. Gary dropped it, he spit some white fur out of his mouth, and realization hit him. And Luna. And me.

Jean yelled down from the bedroom (she had been asleep) because she smelled it too. The dogs had been sprayed. Gary took the brunt of the assault, but Luna wasn't spared. I donned some latex gloves and went at it with Nature's Miracle, a product that breaks down the odor with natural enzymes. It usually does the trick, but you have to soak the dog in it, then let it dry. Not a chance of that happening outside with the pouring rain. I tried blocking the dogs in the shelter of the side porch, but they just kept pacing back and forth, crying, drooling. Gary had actually spent a considerable amount of time rolling in the dirt in an attempt to rid himself of the smell.

To make a long story short, I brought the crates downstairs, and we penned them up in the kitchen. Jean took the day off and was able to take Gary to get a de-skunking bath at a local PetSmart.

Despite my doing the best to shower and clean myself up, and being checked by Jean's super-sniffer, my co-workers were still able to pick up the faint (and maybe not so faint) skunk odor. Lucky me and lucky them,

All in all, we're all mostly de-skunked. The dogs are pretty good, and the house is almost back to normal.

The bigger problem is that this critter is living in our yard. I've suspected this for a while, but this is painful confirmation of the fact. I'll keep you tuned on my eviction methods. Until then, just be glad those pics aren't scratch and sniff.