I saw 3 baby skunks happily frolicking on my street at about 12:30 am the other night (I’m very well attuned to skunk body language so that’s how I knew that they were happily frolicking). Apparently my neighborhood is a breeding ground for hordes of little skunklets. If you’ve ever seen a little skunklet you know that they’re extremely cute.
I’m torn… do I want my neighborhood rid of skunks (and the resulting skunklets), or do I want to run the risk of myself or one of my dogs getting sprayed (again and again)??? Not to mention that according to my vet, skunks are the 1 transmitter of rabies (to dogs) in Oklahoma. He told me in no uncertain terms that if you see a skunk walking around in the daytime, it has rabies. Seeing a skunk at night is unnerving, but at least the worst thing that could happen is you get sprayed and smell terrible for a week.
Who am I to play God, right? The only thing the skunklets have done wrong is to be born smelly, and into a modern world unfriendly to skunks. I would call the city to “get rid” of them, but I know that means certain death for the poor skunklets. People keep (de-scented) skunks as pets, apparently they’re intelligent and sweet little animals if they grow up with humans. Why did these poor little skunklets in my neighborhood have the misfortune of being hated and despised, while I sit with a sweet little loved doglet on my lap (who also happens to be really smelly right now)?
I know we live in a fallen world, but I will always have a slight revulsion to eating any kind of meat. The thought of a slaughterhouse makes me sad, and it doesn’t help much even if it’s as cruelty free as possible (though that does help a lot). The principle is still the same. It really bothers me that conscious beings have to die so I can live. I have moral qualms about killing “pests” in or around my house, even if they’re mice **shudder** or spiders. I know there’s “natural evil” in the world, animals eat other animals in the wild, but something inside me still cries out injustice. The only hope I have is that someday it will all be made right.
I could definitely write a massive blog just on this subject, but the skunk issue remains. As a recap, here’s what I learned from Pinto’s traumatic skunk experience a few months back……. baking soda, peroxide, and dish soap can take that skunk smell right off a dog. Remeber that, and you’ll be fine.
