Skunked!

We'll be the first to admit that there are some natural urges that we just can't seem to push aside.

For Rozi, it's well-documented that the sight, smell, sound, or even implication of "food" makes here beeline for the source, whether or not it's something that's edible (for example, this past week she discovered that contact lens holders, while appearing to be two big fat mints, are really just plastic, but that it doesn't hurt  the taste or texture of the snack).

For Izzi, it's her instinct to guard the house from predators, both small (birds, squirrels, babies in strollers) and large (coyotes, dogs, FedEx trucks). There have been many times where Izzi's boldness and thinking of only the house and not her own safety have worked out well for everyone. Who can forget the time that she chased a squirrel out of the yard, and by "chased" we mean "ran to the place that the squirrel had been about a minute before, and ran around in a circle, then a zigzag, then a cotangent curve, then another circle" and by "out of the yard" we mean "gave up because she didn't realize the squirrel was now high on a tree above her, making a little squirrel-laugh at her". Or, the time that she ran out at night time and faced her foe, some creature that was underneath the hammock and looked like either a possum, a porcupine, or that "Sonic the Hedgehog" video game thing, but with spikes instead of cartoon lines.

All of this, as it is now clear, was just a prelude to an even bigger battle: Izzi versus Pepe le Pew!

That's right, Izzi had a confrontation with a member of the family Spilogale putorius ("stinking spotted weasel"). A polecat. A skunk.

Yesterday morning, our mama let us outside, as usual to "do our business", which Rozi still seems to think has something to do with opening up a little cafe where we can serve freshly-made roast chicken with lamb treat topping to our guests, but is constantly and surprisingly disappointed when our mama points out that we're supposed to just "go". Anyway, on this particular morning, a morning that was cool, but one in which it was clear from the smell was a portend to Spring's approach, we were finished with what we needed to be out for, and began to head back up the stairs to the porch, and Rozi had visions of a lamb treat. Before that could happen, Izzi noticed that there was an intruder on the lawn, and doubled back to protect the house. She didn't realize that this monochromatic scoundrel had a hidden weapon and - even if she did know this - she didn't care for her own safety. Instead, she ran to attack, and the creature turned and...well, there's no easy way to say this...sprayed poor Izzi!

Now, I know what image you have in your head (and this is Izzi talking, because if it were Rozi, she'd think that the image you had in your head was of a bowl of Cheerios), and it wasn't as bad as you might imagine. The critter only sprayed a little bit before running off, and our mama yelled so loud that Izzi came back to the house and the threat was over.

Or, was it?

Izzi now had a pungency to her that was a new fragrance for her, one that was not the typical "dog fur" or "wet dog fur" perfumes that she usually wears. No, this was a much more dangerous smell, and our mama was worried that the smell would not leave the house, and that it would be hard for her to cook us good dinners if she had to breathe it in and out for a long time.

So, our mama ran (or, perhaps, walked quickly...the details are already starting to fade) to her computer and looked up what she needed to do. And, the awful truth is that she needed to give us baths! Both of us, even though Rozi was not near the black and white terrorist.

Our Hero!

First, Izzi got her bath and got a good scrubbing. Our clever mama then rinsed Izzi off with some Listerine (which our mama had read about on her computer), and then it was time for Izzi to dry off. Meanwhile, Rozi got the 'sanitize' treatment, while Izzi went to dry off. But, when Rozi's new 'do was done, it was time for Izzi to have another go, and she got her second bath and second Listerine treatment of the day!

The windows of the house were all opened, and our mama put a special thing on the table that had a good smell in it. When everyone left to go to work or school, we just relaxed, enjoying the new smell (and minty aroma) that was in our fur. And, napping.

And, when our mama came home, she was happy that there was no more bad smell and that we were both so fluffy and clean. The war zone where the battle had raged earlier still had remnants of the attack, but that's to be expected.

So, in the end, Izzi prevailed, keeping the house safe from critters, both colorful and not so much.

Yip, Yip, Yip, Arf,
Izzi & Rozi