11:00. Time for bed after a busy day. Or so I thought. I smelled him before I saw him bound into the room – Cyrus, our Rotti/Mountain dog love, had been skunked! If you’ve ever smelled that smell, you know it. It’s what I think Crayola’s “raw umber” would smell like – burnt oil. It penetrates your nostrils making your nose curl up and your eyes water. I knew right away the day would last a little longer.
Although many people swear by tomato juice, previous experience and a quick internet search suggested a mixture of hydrogen peroxide or white vinegar, baking soda, and dish detergent as an alternative bath for removing skunk odor. Of course we were missing the key ingredient of peroxide or vinegar, so Allan made a late night run to the Acme. He returned armed with all the necessary supplies, and we opted to use the vinegar so as not to bleach Cyrus’ beautiful black coat. Two baths later, where we pretty much all received a soaking, we were left with a soggy doggy who now smelled more like vinegar. One whiff and I was back in my childhood kitchen dyeing Easter eggs.
The next day a friend suggested burning sage to take the odor out of the house. She brought over a bundle of the stuff that looked to me like a giant stogie. That seemed to be work for a while, until I decided the sage was burning too slowly and started a mini bonfire. The smoke alarm went off, but at least the fire department didn’t show up.
It’s been a few days now and things are pretty much back to normal. Thank goodness!
Although many people swear by tomato juice, previous experience and a quick internet search suggested a mixture of hydrogen peroxide or white vinegar, baking soda, and dish detergent as an alternative bath for removing skunk odor. Of course we were missing the key ingredient of peroxide or vinegar, so Allan made a late night run to the Acme. He returned armed with all the necessary supplies, and we opted to use the vinegar so as not to bleach Cyrus’ beautiful black coat. Two baths later, where we pretty much all received a soaking, we were left with a soggy doggy who now smelled more like vinegar. One whiff and I was back in my childhood kitchen dyeing Easter eggs.
The next day a friend suggested burning sage to take the odor out of the house. She brought over a bundle of the stuff that looked to me like a giant stogie. That seemed to be work for a while, until I decided the sage was burning too slowly and started a mini bonfire. The smoke alarm went off, but at least the fire department didn’t show up.
It’s been a few days now and things are pretty much back to normal. Thank goodness!
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