A CHIHUAHUA and A SKUNK

Chihuahua chases a skunk

I got a phone call from my daughter-in-law in New York the other day, "You're not going to believe this," she said.

"What!? What did Cu-Jo do this time?" Cu-Jo is their little Chihuahua and I knew he' done something he had no business doing.  I was waiting for her, and my son to stop laughing in the background.

They gained their composure a few seconds later. "I can't believe Cu-Jo chased a skunk today," she said. "We kept calling him to us, but he continued in pursuit of the skunk. It's a wonder the skunk didn't spray us." Yes, it is a wonder, I thought, somewhat amused. I wasn't sure if they knew that adult skunks are accurate within 10 feet and can spray up to 25 feet. But I kept my newly obtained knowledge to myself. She said they were surprised that Cu-Jo didn't heed to their calls, because usually he was obedient. Then one minute she could see the Chihuahua running in pursuit of the skunk, the next he'd chased the skunk right into a hole. And she said their hearts sank in their chests. "We didn't know what to expect next: We didn't know if Cu-Jo was going to come out of this game of his alive, if the skunk was going to spray us. And the anxiety ran high as we waited. It seemed like a long time, but was actually just a few seconds. When suddenly the skunk crawled out of the hole and ran through the woods with Cu-Jo still in pursuit."

My daughter-in-law and son called the Chihuahua to them and this time he complied, huffing and puffing out of breath. They strapped his leash on and exited the park. Thank God the skunk didn't feel threatened by the small dog. Perhaps the skunk thought the Chihuahua was a puppy. Just thinking out loud. Anyway, they thank their lucky stars that they didn't get sprayed by the skunk. For the spray of a skunk is not only incredibly stinky�"it's also notoriously difficult to get rid of the smell.