Though this story is fiction, it is drawn from real events. Hopefully, it will give you some insight into the problem skunks and other wildlife can pose, and inspire you to take action, before you end up in a similar situation.
I knew something was wrong. There was a hole dug next to the shed behind the house and a faint odor of skunk, but there wasn't much I could do about it. My daughter needed to be dropped off at band practice and my wife and I had dinner plans with friends that evening. So, I put it in the back of my head, to deal with it on the weekend.
When the weekend came, I didn't give that skunk a second thought. There were too many things to do around the house and if I didn't get them done it would be a week before I could get back to them. I spent the days moving things from room to room, painting the walls, and moving things back. I spent the nights relaxing with a few precious minutes of television. There was no time to research how to get rid of a skunk, even if I had the energy to do it.
It was Wednesday of the next week when my procrastination came back to bite me. It started with screams. My son burst into the living room out of breath and only able to get out a couple words. But, they were enough. I knew instantly that the source of his hysteria was that our dog had been sprayed.
I followed him out into the yard where are poor dog was clearly not happy. He was rolling around on the ground, losing his ever loving mind. Against my better judgment, I picked him up and attempted to carry him back into the house. To say that this action was met with strong objections from my wife would be an overwhelming understatement. She made it clear, and in no uncertain terms, that bringing the dog into the house would constitute an act of war between us.
So, I tied the poor dog outside and gave him--and myself--three baths in tomato sauce before the smell was neutralized enough to stop tormenting us both. But it didn't save our house from stinking like skunk for two days.
In retrospect, I've learned that there are shampoos at the pet store that are better at removing skunk smell. I keep a bottle on my shelf, and anytime I see evidence of a skunk, I immediately call Thomas Pest Control to come and safely fix the problem. That is one ordeal I don't ever want to go through again.