Pet Mayhem - Tomato Juice...Anyone?

Several years back, my husband and I, along with our adopted dog, Molly, vacationed in Maine at the summer home of long-time friends. The Northeast landscape was new to South Florida Molly, and she was captivated by the trees, the lake and the unusual scents.

We arrived late that evening, so Molly didn't get to do much exploring, but the next morning was another story. I opened the door and leaned down to snap on her leash a split second too late. She took off running, into the neighbors yard and under a small out building. The next thing I heard was a yelp and then I saw Molly crawl sheepishly out from under the building, her eyes blinking and squinting. The closer she came, the more obnoxious she smelled.

Since I've always had a pretty keen nose for scents, I knew instantly she'd been skunked! We were scheduled to stay three more days with our friends, but how could we possibly ask them to put up with our stinky dog? That's where the tomato juice comes in. "Best thing to kill the odor," we were told at the local food/everything store. So, we bought every can they had. Come to think of it, the cans on the shelves didn't look like they'd moved in months...not until we were told of this sure-fire remedy. Hmmmm....


We soaked poor Molly in tomato juice, then rinsed her in the cold, Maine lake. Even though it was mid-summer, trust me, you don't want to be anywhere near water without a wetsuit. But, that's the price you pay for chasing black and white-striped "kitty-cats."


In case you're wondering, the tomato juice didn't kill the smell. It lingered for weeks on Molly and all through our friends' vacation home. We did get a thank you from them a few months later. Seems that their string of summer guests didn't stick around as long as they had the year before, and they had more time to enjoy the peace and serenity of their vacation home.


Molly spent the rest of her vacation exploring the rocky lake which was fine with us. The more time she spent outdoors, the better!

Mary Cunningham is the author of the award-winning series, Cynthia's Attic.

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