My human was talking with Aunt Glenda the other day, and she had a situation that made the FG's visit to the neighbors seem like a VERY minor offense. Aunt Glenda lives on a LARGE parcel of land in the country. And her dogs - Bernese Mountain Dogs - are very well behaved. They don't jump on visitors, don't tend to destroy things in the house, don't bark out commands when they are hungry, don't yank and pull on a leash - they are generally very well behaved. BUT - the other day, one of the dogs came in the house and REEKED of skunk. If you don't have skunks in your part of the world, thank your lucky stars. They have this "scent" that they shoot out when they lift their tails. It's a defense mechanism. Someone once said "No sewer ever smelled so bad." Apparently, wolves and foxes don't usually attack skunks - for fear of being sprayed. But not us intelligent domesticated dogs. My human knows of more than one dog who has met with a skunk. And getting out the offensive odor is no easy chore. Some people swear that tomato juice will take out the smell. And if it doesn't work, you now have a stinky red dog. Another removal recipe is: 1 quart hydrogen peroxide, ¼ cup baking soda, and 1 teaspoon dish-washing liquid. Aunt Glenda used a variation of the hydrogen peroxide recipe. But even when you DO get out the smell, there is a lingering odor for weeks.
So bad enough that one dog met with the skunk, the next day, another dog came in with ode de rodent. But even worse - this dog smelled like DEAD skunk. Can there be anything worse in the WORLD?! Aunt Glenda thinks dog #1 may have killed the skunk and dog #2 rolled in the remains. Oooooooo-eeeeeeee. That would be BAD.
We dogs love stinky things. And rolling in them is right up there in heavenly experiences - next to an open, accessible treat jar. Scientists theorize that our desire for outfitting ourselves in stench goes back to our earlier wild roots - and those of our ancestors - the wolf. They THINK we wanted to disguise ourselves like our prey - so we rolled in the prey's poop. Nice. And let's face it, eating rotting smelly things is also a great past time. The other day my human spotted Einstein and I intently smelling something near the garage door. She came over to see what we were investigating. A dead baby garter snake. We thought it was cool - but her - not so much.
Anyway, if you're having a not-great day, be thankful you don't live with a dog who just rolled in dead skunk. Yup. Always look on the bright side of things!
Have a good one. Peace and paws up!
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