The Great Skunkapade or How to get New Carpet...

Have you ever sat down to relax, after a hard day, and had your entire world disrupted in an instant? It’s commonplace around here. Everyone and everything on the place seems to know exactly when I’m slipping on my tattered old flannel housecoat and settling in front of the television to unwind before bed. ESP? Or it is some insidious underground network that has been set up to prevent me from ever relaxing for the rest of my life…?

Last Tuesday night I had worked diligently on my pitches for the upcoming HOD/Huntsville Library Luncheon and also on my newest book. A good day’s work and I was tired. After a soothing shower, I dressed for bed, grabbing my favorite flannel housecoat. I sat down in my recliner and flipped on the television, surfing channels for at least something to watch. My hubby, good man that he is, always takes the dogs for a walk before bed. I never do this after dark because I am night-blind and could fall down a hole before anyone knew I was missing. Any way, I had finally found something on TV when I heard the back door open. The dogs flew into the room, panting and whining. Then it hit! SKUNK!



Of all the people you will ever meet, I am the most squeamish when it comes to bad odors. I have a weak stomach and bad smells make me heave, a lot. This odor was enough for me to lose my lunch for a week. I jumped up, trying to determine who had been sprayed. Mason, the Doberman, was running around the bedroom, whining and pestering the mutt, Rusty. My Sheltie was cowering over in the corner – obviously the smell was getting to her sensibilities too. So, it had to be either Mason or Rusty. My husband came in and said that a skunk had sprayed somewhere near the house. I gave him a nasty look and informed him it had also sprayed one of the dogs. He argued that it was just the smell from outside until he got closer. He, coward, backed out of the bedroom, leaving it to me.

It only took one whiff – Rusty had taken the spray head-on. She was rolling on my carpet and then running to me to try to swipe the offensive odor on my favorite housecoat.





Mason, who seemed to be the only one enjoying the whole mess, was grinning from ear to ear. Chaos! It’s great! The lady is running around - time to have FUN!!!

I immediately tried to get Rusty out of the bedroom without touching her. Not happening. Every time I got near her, she began rolling and whining. I screamed for my hubby to help me before the entire room was permeated with the smell. He studiously ignored me, staying in the kitchen. Deciding that I was on my own, I tackled Rusty, pinning her down. I picked her up and, heaving until my eyes watered, stumbled to the garage. The smell in there was horrible! I remembered the thiotrol I had gotten from the vet for just such an occasion. This stuff is supposed to neutralize the smell of a skunk (no – from experience – tomato paste does NOT work). Now that the threat of contamination had been defused, hubby was more than happy to drench Rusty and me with the stuff. Rusty was relegated to the outdoors for the night.

Returning to the house, I stripped and threw everything I had on into the washer. I took another shower and then set about trying to do something about the smell in the bedroom. The thiotrol helped but it stinks too. Febreze, vinegar, baking powder – I attacked the carpet with everything. Around midnight I had the smell under control enough to finally climb into bed after changing the sheets and blanket. Exhausted, I fell asleep, still smelling skunk. (Not to worry, I cleaned the entire carpet the next day – all better, but I am going to get new carpet…)

Have you ever planned to have a quiet evening and had it horribly disrupted? Or had a time set aside to relax and had someone or something disturb your carefully laid plans? I know kids are good at that, probably more so than my lovely pets. Share an experience of total chaos with us!