We have reached the time of year where our little skunk friends are scurrying about early in the mornings. Just about the time that we are all letting our dogs out the back door for their morning potty time. The stinky fur friends are ducking under sheds and back fences. But not before they leave a snoot full of burnt rubber and hate!

I thought maybe this would be a good time for everyone to gear up for the de-stink-afying bath ritual.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure though.

My first tip is to have a flashlight by the back door. Check the yard before you let the dogs out. Make some noise so the skunk has been warned. And remember that skunks are known for carrying rabies. Be sure to keep your dogs vaccines up to date.

But say your dog gets his nose close enough to receive the warning stink bomb. You will experience a very upset dog that will be shaking his head and maybe even foaming at the mouth. YOU may even shake your head and foam at the mouth.

Never fear there are some solutions that work well. Here’s what I do…

Not tomato sauce! Or tomato juice… or tomato anything. You and the dog will just hate life and end up smelling like burnt rubber, hate, AND tomatoes.

Instead try this…

Wet the dog a bit. Pack their fur (avoiding the eyes and mouth… face area) with baking soda. Then pour white vinegar over the baking soda and let it foam up real good. And the. A good degreasing dish soap bath. Dawn is the best that I know of. Rinse and repeat as many times as necessary until both you and the dog have gone nose blind and feel confident that the stink is gone. And warn your friends that you don’t want to know they can still smell it.

Sadly, most of the stink gets stuck up inside the snoot, and or near the eyes. A good degreaser soap like DAWN liquid on a rag is the best thing for that area. Also, vinegar on a rag. Neither of those are perfect but they help.

And be mindful that the dogs never, ever, learn their lesson about this. So always be diligent with the flashlight and noise before the dogs head out on their morning adventures. But happiness is a cool morning with a great cup of coffee, and a happy non stinky dog. Heres to hoping your fall is full of pumpkin spice smells!