Friday morning Erin of Avalanche Acres and I went fox hunting. She took along Ana Banana, and I had Sniper for go to ground and Tracker for our "lurcher" in case they bolted anything from a den.
We parked the car, got everyone out, got the two ground dogs collared and then headed into the field. The dogs checked out several dens, but it was obvious by their state that no one was home and hadn't been for a while. It really was no matter - I was having a wonderful time chatting with Erin and learning more about earthwork, walking in the cool Wyoming morning air, and watching the dogs hunt. I was certain that we would know if they found something - Ana was experienced, and Tracker and Sniper had gotten a taste for fox a few days prior.
We came across a small pond with about 20' of mud for a shoreline, and metal culvert that acted as an overflow pipe. I asked the dogs to check the spot, and they did - Ana first, then Tracker and then Sniper. All three gave it a quick sniff and then left it. Ana, however, came back. This time, she went straight in and a scuffle ensued. I heard lots of snuffling and scratching, but did not hear a fight. I called Erin over, and as she was looking in, Ana came out covered in green skunk spray and Erin got a close up look at a skunk's rear end.
And must I mention the smell and how it lingered? It was almost poetic how it wafted in the wind to attach itself to us, our clothing, our skin, and Tracker and Sniper. Okay, not really - I will admit that I was glad I was just running on coffee because I wanted to vomit.
Erin got Ana washed off in the pond and I ran for the car to get the other supplies we had - such as saline to wash out her poor little eyeballs. It wasn't very long before Ana was right as rain and ready to go hunting again. We called it a day though - there wasn't any way she was going to be able to smell anything but skunk for a while.
Erin told me that shaving gel was the best for skunk spray, so we made a trip into the local Family Dollar before heading home. Once we got some fresh air, we thought that we didn't stink too badly, but we did! I felt sorry for anyone within sniffing distance of us.
After getting home, I stripped off on the porch and ran into the bathroom with Sniper and Tracker. I can only imagine what we would have looked like to anyone who dared peer in - we were all wet, cold, and covered in shaving gel lather! The gel worked wonders on the dogs - who really hadn't had direct contact but still stunk. It didn't work so well on me. I smelled vaguely of skunk for the rest of Friday, but by Saturday no one could tell I had smelled of skunk just the day prior.
Later that day Erin sent me a great link from the TRAPPED website on first aid for skunked dogs. It can be found here, along with other good information on canine first aid.
The husband and I loaded up the dogs and we went to Golden, Colorado for the weekend. We played with dogs, saw the King Tut exhibit, and rode the Georgetown Loop Railroad complete with a tour of the Lebanon Silver Mine. We ended the day with a huge mountain pizza pie from Beau Jo's.
Carb loaded, we went back up the mountain to Tracey's house and picked up my newest addition to my Rat Pack, Miss Jada! I popped her into a kennel with Rodear, who took great care of her the whole trip. We didn't plan on getting home so late, but we did. I did my best to wear out Jada before putting her to bed, but she still fussed a little. I had to move Heidi into another kennel, because she was getting mad that Jada was fussing, and I didn't want her nailing the puppy through the kennels. As a side note - Miss Heidi does NOT put up with whining, crying, fussing, howling or generally acting the fool. She expects everyone to behave themselves and will discipline anyone who dares step out of line. Rodear, on the other hand, just laid down in her kennel and eventually Jada gave up the fussing and went and cuddled with her.
I love having something to look forward to - Tracey took some fabulous pictures of my dogs – both in her back yard and playing in the water at a national park. I hope I get them soon so that I can share them with you.
And here is Miss Jada, dancing with the Oliver Kitty:
We parked the car, got everyone out, got the two ground dogs collared and then headed into the field. The dogs checked out several dens, but it was obvious by their state that no one was home and hadn't been for a while. It really was no matter - I was having a wonderful time chatting with Erin and learning more about earthwork, walking in the cool Wyoming morning air, and watching the dogs hunt. I was certain that we would know if they found something - Ana was experienced, and Tracker and Sniper had gotten a taste for fox a few days prior.
We came across a small pond with about 20' of mud for a shoreline, and metal culvert that acted as an overflow pipe. I asked the dogs to check the spot, and they did - Ana first, then Tracker and then Sniper. All three gave it a quick sniff and then left it. Ana, however, came back. This time, she went straight in and a scuffle ensued. I heard lots of snuffling and scratching, but did not hear a fight. I called Erin over, and as she was looking in, Ana came out covered in green skunk spray and Erin got a close up look at a skunk's rear end.
And must I mention the smell and how it lingered? It was almost poetic how it wafted in the wind to attach itself to us, our clothing, our skin, and Tracker and Sniper. Okay, not really - I will admit that I was glad I was just running on coffee because I wanted to vomit.
Erin got Ana washed off in the pond and I ran for the car to get the other supplies we had - such as saline to wash out her poor little eyeballs. It wasn't very long before Ana was right as rain and ready to go hunting again. We called it a day though - there wasn't any way she was going to be able to smell anything but skunk for a while.
Erin told me that shaving gel was the best for skunk spray, so we made a trip into the local Family Dollar before heading home. Once we got some fresh air, we thought that we didn't stink too badly, but we did! I felt sorry for anyone within sniffing distance of us.
After getting home, I stripped off on the porch and ran into the bathroom with Sniper and Tracker. I can only imagine what we would have looked like to anyone who dared peer in - we were all wet, cold, and covered in shaving gel lather! The gel worked wonders on the dogs - who really hadn't had direct contact but still stunk. It didn't work so well on me. I smelled vaguely of skunk for the rest of Friday, but by Saturday no one could tell I had smelled of skunk just the day prior.
Later that day Erin sent me a great link from the TRAPPED website on first aid for skunked dogs. It can be found here, along with other good information on canine first aid.
The husband and I loaded up the dogs and we went to Golden, Colorado for the weekend. We played with dogs, saw the King Tut exhibit, and rode the Georgetown Loop Railroad complete with a tour of the Lebanon Silver Mine. We ended the day with a huge mountain pizza pie from Beau Jo's.
Carb loaded, we went back up the mountain to Tracey's house and picked up my newest addition to my Rat Pack, Miss Jada! I popped her into a kennel with Rodear, who took great care of her the whole trip. We didn't plan on getting home so late, but we did. I did my best to wear out Jada before putting her to bed, but she still fussed a little. I had to move Heidi into another kennel, because she was getting mad that Jada was fussing, and I didn't want her nailing the puppy through the kennels. As a side note - Miss Heidi does NOT put up with whining, crying, fussing, howling or generally acting the fool. She expects everyone to behave themselves and will discipline anyone who dares step out of line. Rodear, on the other hand, just laid down in her kennel and eventually Jada gave up the fussing and went and cuddled with her.
I love having something to look forward to - Tracey took some fabulous pictures of my dogs – both in her back yard and playing in the water at a national park. I hope I get them soon so that I can share them with you.
And here is Miss Jada, dancing with the Oliver Kitty:
Miss Jada is dancing with the Oliver Kitty! She was raised with a kitten, and she took to Oliver very quickly.
When I left for work in the morning, Jada and Oliver were wrestling in the puppy play pen.
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