Nocturnal Visitor

Hola my friends,

Last night we had a not-so-friendly visit from a di-stink-tly unwelcome trespasser. Brian and I were enjoying the movie Appaloosa, courtesy of our new HBO channels when Max whined to go outside. I removed myself from my comfortable, reclining, couch potato position and let Max and the puggies outside to conduct their "business." I walked back to the couch and was just about to sit down when Max starts whoofing and hollering outside. I knew something was amiss. You see, Max never barks unless there are varmints about. I walked back to the door and vaguely saw three shadowy bodies (it was dark) snarling and attacking our fence. (The three figures to which I am referring were Max and his pug cohorts). I said to Brian "Those pugs've got something out there - go see what it is." Brian grabbed the flashlight and ventured forth into the murky abyss that is our backyard around 9:17pm. "What is it?" I shouted from the doorway. I could see the pugs runnig to and fro barking like mad while Max was viciously scrapping with the culprit. Then it hit me. The awful stench coupled with Brian's reponse "It's a skunk! Max has got it!" Right then, Max ran from the dark recesses of the yard into my line of sight and the light with his prize dangling from his frothing mouth. He was thrashing his head vigorously from side to side playing with his new toy. Brian shouted "Max drop it, DROP IT." Finally, he did. I had run into the garage to get a rake so we could pick up the dead skunk. I was thinking of hurling it over the fence into the neighbors garden (he, he, he - surprise!). But instead, Brian made me get some plastic bags so we could throw it into the garbage can (boring). Luckily, before we did so, I was able to capture a picture of the stinking varmint.

As luck would have it, neither Max or the pugs got sprayed too badly from the skunk. But Max was a mite stinky and got a rather vigorous scurb down with shampoo and the hose. The pugs too, were scrubbed down in the shower - just in case. Needless to say, all the dogs slept in their own beds last night.

My littlest dog, Kellen, slept thru all the shenanigans. Lucky.

~McCranski's Out