Funky skunky

Hopeful looks about the same as she always does as she bounds toward me eager to play, but if she were a cartoon dog, her body would be surrounded by powerful aroma rays.

She had tangled with a skunk.

So that's what all that night-time barking was about! In the past I've tried to maintain ignorance of Hopeful's solitary activities. I turn a blind eye to the treasures she brings home, the chunks of deer carcass and the occasional dead possum, but there's no ignoring the smell of skunk.

She doesn't seem at all bothered by her funky smell; in fact, she seems downright proud. She's an outdoor dog who never comes inside and she's free to roam our woods without fear of encountering anyone likely to be offended by the smell of skunk, so I'm inclined to just let her stink. She can splash in the creek and roll in pine needles and eventually the reek will diminish.

Meanwhile, I'll just have to endure the aroma rays--and hold her at arm's length when she runs up to play.