Skunks

We live on the edge of the Cathedral Area, Black and Midland. I have to deal with skunks on a daily basis. I wear a headlamp to go outside at night. My dogs collars have to have extra jingle on them so there aren’t any surprises. I use a plastic bb gun to fire into dark corners and bushes- not to harm a skunk but to flush it out. I make sure we have smoke bombs on hand- again to flush them out and we always have a supply of mint mouthwash and bottles of douche at the ready. I and dogs I’ve owned have been skunked many many times and I’ve found this combination to work the best. Mint mouth wash for the body. Douche for the face and eyes. We have a saying that it’s not a matter of “if” the dogs get skunked but “when” the dogs get skunked…

I walk my dogs just about every night with my headlamp on. I constantly rattle the dogs leashes to make noise, making “psst’ing noises”. I probably sound like a one man marching band walking down dark Cathedral Area streets. Knowing how infested our neighborhood is means always being skunk-ready.
Twice in the past couple of weeks I have seen a sign of hope (concern) due to the skunk population- the arrival of urban red foxes. A predator has decided our neighborhood to be a good hunting ground. As I close, I close the office window. A skunk has sprayed in the neighborhood.