April 6, 2015
Ridge Spring News
Harriet Householder
Due to an item on my Bucket List I will be traveling with
my daughter and granddaughter in Europe.
I am reusing an article that was first published in 2009
“SKUNK”
by Sylvia Moran
Pippy, my trustworthy bodyguard dog was
barking very loud and excitedly about something. I looked at my clock, 4:00 AM-DARN! She
barked at nearly every deer, dog or darned thing that dared come within a
seeing or smelling distance of the fenced-in Yard. But this was more; she was really excited
about something. So I stuck my toes into
my flip flops, grabbed a flash light and stared out to see what it was that
grabbed Kayla, the quiet dog that I was keeping for a friend and who was also very
excited and woofing her deep bay from her inside-the-house vigil point.
Phew!! Soon as I stepped out the back
door onto the porch, I knew what the darned thing was-a skunk!
Though it was dark the high outside light
illuminated enough for me to make out a small black and white critter just
outside the fence that Pippy was barking at ferociously. I called Pippy into me and watched as the
critter walked along the outside of the fence until a few feet from the house;
it squeezed its head through the chain link fence and then wriggled its body on
through. Pippy was frantic and broke
away to confront the little guy, who gave no ground at all, nor did it even
turn to spray its defensive weapon at the dog.
I screeched at Pippy to get back here and she, good dog that she is,
obliged me though reluctantly. Kayla had
now joined us as I closed the porch screen door and we watched as this cute
little guy pranced and mince footed hurriedly all around the yard and under the
porch we were on, which was enclosed with lattice panels. Oh no, I hoped it wouldn’t stay under
there. It did not, but then proceeded to
make its way up the ramp to the porch’s screen door. I yelled at it and jabbed at the screen; with
a heavy walking stick. It actually bit
at the screen! WOW! This was not normal skunk behavior.
For the next several hours as it got lighter
and lighter and finally full day light, the dogs and I watched this cheeky
little skunk scamper around our fenced in yard, under the porch and even
leaving the yard on 3 different times only to come back in again after being
gone each time for 10 to15 minutes. The
last time it came up the ramp and started back down I took my walking stick and
followed it down. On the way down I
knocked one of Pippy’s rubber toys and it rolled down behind the skunk. It grabbed the toy and for 2 or 3 minutes
chewed and shook and bit at it like a dog or cat playing with a toy. By this time I was convinced it wasn’t going
to leave, that it wasn’t “right” and I would have to kill it. It finally left the toy and walked out a ways
into the yard. While still standing on
the ramp, I began to hit it on the head with my stick. As I kept hitting it on the head, it never
tried to run but made low sort of growling, spitting noises. After about three whacks, I think, it, for
the first time, turned and lifted its tail to spray. As I hit it again it turned back around
facing me, and I continued hitting it again and again screaming at it, “Please
die! Please die!” It finally crumpled
down and stopped moving.
After a while I got an old pair of my
husband’s overalls and with a shovel put the skunk onto them wrapping and
placing the body into 3 plastic bags which I buried away from the house in the
trees.
Later that day as I was telling my neighbor
about it she said her daughter when leaving for work that morning around eight
had noticed in her side mirror a skunk chasing after her car! On one of its so –journs out of my yard, the
brazen little devil had tried taking on an even bigger fore. We decided I should let the authorities know
about this. It was after hours, so aside
from the police I wasn’t able to make contact with anyone but left
messages. The next day Environmental
Services contacted me and after listening to my story said, they were sorry to
ask but I needed to dig up the darned thing and take it to a vet where they
would remove its head and send it for analysis; I did and a day later got a
call that it did test positive for rabies.
Well, ya think?!
Reminders:
April 17-19:
Wonderful Weekend in Ward
May
16: Magnolia Ridge Antique and Art Gathering
Ridge Spring Library
hours:
Mon/Tues 8:30 am - 12 pm; Wed., 12:30 – 4:30; Thurs 8:30 am - 12:00 pm; Fri
12:30 pm -4:30 pm, Saturday from 9:00 until noon,
Every 2nd
& 4th Monday: Kids'
Corner
Story Time 10:30-11:30 a.m., at the
Ridge Spring Library.
Every 2nd
Monday: RSM Elem PTO meets at 6:30 pm in the media
center.
Every Friday &
Saturday: AARS hours 10 – 4 or
by appt, free admission RS NEWS