Our lab, Riley, went after the skunk as soon as he went out the door. My husband opened the door as soon as he heard Riley going crazy. Everything we own smells awful. The smell is even on our clothes IN OUR CLOSETS on the second floor.
Luckily we acted quickly to mitigate the damage. We used a thrifty bath for the dogs - 1 quart hydrogen peroxide, one quarter to half a cup of baking soda and a couple of drops of dishwashing liquid. Rinse the dogs with warm water, rub the mixture down to the skin and let sit for 5-10 minutes. Repeat as necessary. Since we were in our morning rush, the dogs only got one bath but needed more.
The poor kids went to school with their clothes and bags smelling slightly of skunk but enough to be noticeable. The nurse at Roo's school called and said Jack was complaining about the skunk smell making his stomach upset. THAT'S a call you want from the school nurse; Mother of the Year, here I come. I sprayed a shirt and pair of pants and beat feet to the school. He smelled much better with the new clothes and because I removed the offending coat and backpack from school premises.
His teacher had a great sense of humor about it, but I think the poor kid was a little traumatized. When the Diva described her experience, see below, Roo said he was humiliated, too. First thing the teacher said was that it smelled like skunk in the classroom. Roo told the story about the dogs, so his coat and backpack were placed outside on a bench. Then, he said, his teacher had to spry the classroom (hence the humiliation). At least he wasn't teased by his friends.
The Diva, on the other hand, had to deal with middle school 'mean girl' garbage. Two girls, supposedly friends, plugged their noses every time they walked by her and each time she opened her locker. Yuck.
My children, I have to say, handled it admirably. Sad faces at pick up, but not long lasting.
When we arrived home, more fumigating. I used Nature's Miracle Skunk Odor Remover on our furniture and carpet and the dogs got three more baths with a deskunking shampoo. Poor Riley's face still stinks to high heaven since he got the brunt of it.
We're all spraying our clothes as we walk out the door to spare others from the smell. We're using Nature's Miracle which is supposed to be non-toxic. But who knows. Although, I'll take chemicals over social suicide any day.
My husband has the funniest outlook in the family. He posted a photo of Bill Murray hunting the gopher in Caddyshack on his facebook page with the comment, "Skunk 1, dogs 0."
Hopefully the smell will do us a favor and leave SOON and things can go back to normal.
