I had a pet skunk for a short time growing up. My mom was always rescuing animals. We also at one time or another had a crow recovering from a broken wing ( in the house), a baby squirrel that my Dad rescued at the sawmill and fed with an eye dropper until it was old enough to be released. ( It would run up the back of a loose shirt tail and hide at the base of someone's neck. He preferred long hair, so if we forgot to warn a guest things got pretty exciting). The skunk was sold as a pet to some young folks who were mistreating it. My mom knew a family member and offered take it in. It's name was Chi Chi. Chi Chi and the cat did not get along. During the daytime the cat Snoopy would go find Chi Chi asleep in my Mom's closet, and the fight would be on. At night, Chi Chi would return the favour. I can still remember hearing Chi Chi's nail's clicking down the hallway every night before she would jump up on my bed. I would lay perfectly still ( they do have quite the teeth and Chi Chi liked to be left alone) as Chi Chi would stick it's little nose into my ears, my eyes, check out my nose and then jump down to inspect my brother....before he went to find the cat. Chi Chi did smell musty, but not at all like the aroma that comes off of a wild one. Chi Chi had a tough life before us and eventually would not let my Mom down the hallway one day...bluffing and stomping at her. She called the original pet store owner ( a neighbour) and he took Chi Chi in. He had a better place for her and more of a natural pen/enclosure.
Three years ago Angus got into a skunk beside the porch. He was barking and wanting out at about 2 am. The skunk let him have it right beside the house. We closed all of the windows and doors, but it was a bit late. Angus had a few baths before 6 am. We keep some ingrediants for a bath that really helps with the smell. ( this would be the fifth time one of our dogs has been blasted) We were already packed for an out of town doctor trip. We thought we had beaten the smell. Angus was in his run for the night. ( The Hilton). Our truck broke down and needed to go into the shop. The mechanic kept giving us a funny look. Our noses were "nose blind" but the interior of our truck still had the faint after smell of skunk. For those who do not know...this smell is similiar to a certain crop that grows when it is about to go into bud. We quickly explained the skunk story and realized the residule smell was on our luggage. I'm not sure if he believed us....but he did have a laugh.
@Melody Mc. Those are great anecdotes. I can only imagine how you must have felt while Chi Chi inspected your eyes, ears and nose. My co-worker had a similar experience with her dog getting blasted, only she and her dog were just coming out of the house, the door was still open and some of the spray got inside the house as well as she and her dog getting full blasted. She was out of work for a few days and even when she came back there was still an almost faint smell on her. We could smell it, but she couldn't anymore.
