Wednesday, July 25, 2012

A Close Call At The Cozy Cottage

Oy vey!  We nearly had a disaster in the wee hours of the morning here.  Liesl very seldom gets up in the middle of the night, but last night was insistent that she had to go out at about 2:45 a.m.  She normally waits until about 5:30 a.m.  Usually I can corral her back to her bed on the rare night that she wakes up at an odd time.  Last night she was insistent, so I walked her to the back door.  Here is where I am absolutely grateful for Liesl being a pretty well behaved dog.  

When I take her out when it is dark, she always waits behind me at the door until I tell her it is okay to go out.  This started because my neighbor told me that there is a large raccoon that walks on the fence between our backyards.  Raccoon will do horrible things to a dog so I have a healthy respect for them.  I always scan the yard to make sure that all is clear.  Liesl always waits until I say, "Okay, no raccoons!"  Then she will trot out to the yard.  

Last night, we went through our routine at the door.  When I went to scan the yard, however, I did not see a raccoon, I saw a huge SKUNK!  Thank goodness Liesl did not run out before I gave her the okay.  I quickly slammed the door.  Liesl looked at me really confused, but was lured away from the back door and into the kitchen by the siren song of duck jerky.  Thinking that she really had to go, I watched from a window for the all clear but the skunk just seemed to hang around.  Liesl finally gave up and went back to sleep.  All I could think is that we were really lucky.  

Little Miss Liesl did learn a lesson about messin' with the black and white kitty several years ago when she was a puppy.  It was a terrible experience and I was amazed at how long that smell hangs around.  Yuck.  Unfortunately, she has probably forgotten that lesson and we could have had a really rotten night.  Whew!

3 comments:

Patti said...

Wow! When my schnauzer Reggie has to go out after dark, even though I take him in my backyard that is completely fenced, I attach the leash to his collar and walk him myself. This started after the night he chased something into the back corner and I heard an awful scream from some animal. Reggie came running as fast as he could to me. Luckily he wasn't hurt and I don't know if it was a raccoon or a possum, but it scared the you-know-what out of both of us. I have skunks, too, and I keep hydrogen peroxide, dish soap and baking soda on hand for the odor eliminator recipe that is supposed to work the best.
So glad Liesl didn't get sprayed!

gracie said...

Oh my...many years ago my beloved Sherlock greeted a skunk face to face...it was a disaster. Took days for the pooch to smile okay... and the house! Here I check for the coyote for Zoe at night...good you were awake enough to protect both of you.

Anonymous said...

LOL Our black lab, even on his death bed will still go and mess with the stinky kitty! He's a glutton for punishment I Think. It's been a couple years though since the last tomato bath. (His quota is due about now too....) Glad to hear you averted an incidence....it is a most messy and disgusting smell.