Ugh, skunk!

It is that time of year in Chicago – the skunks are coming out, we can smell them!  The last two years in a row, our little white dog was skunked in February.  I am hoping we avoid the smelly hat trick this year.  Have you ever smelled a skunk?  They smell like a mixture of rotten eggs, burnt rubber and garlic.

So, why do skunks smell?  Skunks spray as a defensive mechanism.  Skunks release a fluid from two scent glands on their backsides.  The spray can fly through the air from five to sixteen feet!  For example, when my little white dog goes up to a skunk and wants to play with it, (see picture of Cortland after a trip to the groomer) the skunk gets scared, turns around, lifts his tail and sprays him in the face.  The spray bothers Cortland, burns his eyes and makes him sneeze.  While Cortland is dealing with that issue, the skunk can run away.  Skunks spray the smelly scent to protect themselves from predators.

By the way, the best way I have found to clean Cortland is equal parts hydrogen peroxide, baking soda and Palmolive soap.  I didn’t want to use tomato juice and turn the little white dog pink.

Here is a great video of the chemical compounds in the skunk spray.  Here is a video of baby skunks - they are kind of cute when they are small!