Happy first day of Spring everyone! Even though we still have snow on the ground and the temperatures are below normal for this time of year Spring is officially here according to the calendar.
We had a visitor to the barn that caused quite a stir to say the least. Meet Pepe Le Pew. He was discovered under Blue’s hay net during daily muck out in the morning. Needless to say the barn was not finished until he decided there wasn’t much to do in a deserted barn.
No matter how much Blue begged to have his own pet he was turned down. He’s just not mature enough to take responsibility for a pet of his own. Sorry Blue but Pepe had to go.
Until next time
Quote for Today
What kills a skunk is the publicity it gives itself.
- Abraham Lincoln-
How was this situation resolved? Did you all stay clear until Pepe decided to vacate the premises? Skunks are cute little suckers, but truly objectionable. I've also heard they are one of the biggest rabies vectors.
ReplyDeleteToday does have the feel of spring (finally)... I hope you make the transition up there asap A!
I was lucky, he just left on his own. Guess it was too boring to hang around.
DeleteIf you are lucky, Pepe will not return. No spring here yet...in fact it is snowing.
ReplyDeleteI hope he stays way too. Can't believe it's snowing again by you. You can't catch a break.
DeleteNever had a Pepe in the barn, but when I fed my cat in the enclosed back porch, a Pepe visited more than once. Had to close up the cat door and barricade the screen door so there was no access. Gets a bit fragrant, if you get my drift....or the wind's drift. *G* Glad you little visitor decided to leave without incident.
ReplyDeleteI was afraid he'd go into the tack room through the cat door but I was lucky he didn't. Don't need him in there or spraying the cat!
DeleteOh no! I hope he doesn't find the cat food in the tack room. That would be a nice surprise one morning.
DeleteEven de-odorized skunks have a "residual odor." And the comment about rabies vectors is correct. If anyone does get sprayed by a skunk, however, tomato juice is a neutralizer. Full strength on cat, dog, horse, person. FYI.
DeleteThanks for the info. My dog Maggie got sprayed once (11:00 p.m. One night) and we tried tomato juice and multiple baths and she kept her odor for a few weeks after. A little less each day but it was unpleasant for a time.
DeleteI am SURE that somewhere on the planet, having a skunk show up in your barn on the first day of spring is Good Luck! happy spring to you!
ReplyDelete- The Equestrian Vagabond
Well, I hope you're right! I think the luck here is that he left before anyone got sprayed.
DeleteA wild life ambassador in our area said that a skunk will not spray in a confined space. Somehow, this would not give me comfort of it was in the barn. I second the rabies question.
ReplyDeleteI don't actually know too much about skunks but I'm sure they could carry rabies and infect the horses or others they come in contact with. Let's hope ge doesn't come back.
DeleteGlad Pepe vacated the premises on his own. Not a sort of critter I'd like to deal with.
ReplyDeleteNo I hope I don't have to deal with him again either.
DeleteWow!! You guys have all the fun! :) Was Blue in the stall with him for any amount of time?
ReplyDeleteBlue was clueless he was outside chewing down on hay. I think in the future I'll settle for a little less fun ;)
DeleteWhat can I say? Glad the situation didn't stink worse, and things resolved peacefully. I've never experienced/read about skunk & horse interactions. Bet your horses were glad to have you come to the rescue!
ReplyDeleteThe horses and cat should be grateful he left before they came in. I had nothing to do with rescuing them. I was gone in a flash, coward that I am!
DeleteLast fall, when we decided to use humane trap to catch our feral kitty for neutering, the first resident of the trap was not a tabby, but a B&W "kitty." As long as I moved slowly, one step at a time with 5 minutes of barn chores between, we made an eventful trip outside, where I then had to convince him to leave the trap. Perhaps Val's theory about confined spaces worked in my favor, but he was much more pleasant to work with than the tabby turned out to be! (Though the tabby, Sarge eventually forgave me, and still keeps our barn rodent free.)
ReplyDeleteI'd say you were very lucky to have made such a nice new friend that didn't feel threatened enough to retaliate!
DeleteAw, how cute -- says she who has never been anywhere near a skunk ;) You certainly do have quite the wildlife 'haven'. Poor Blue ... maybe next year.
ReplyDeleteLove your new look, very spring-like. Hope Spring doesn't delay her arrival by too much.
The closest I've ever been to a skunk is to pass a dead one on the road and get that awful smell in the car for miles. Until now that is.
DeleteEE-GADS! That would have sent me hot footing out of there too. I was driving home late one night and a car in front of me apparently ran over a skunk. Unfortunately I went over the top of it with my car while it was still spraying...I will NEVER forget that smell. It was awful. Glad your little guest left on his own accord and hopefully will not return.
ReplyDeleteThey can raise quite a stink that's for sure.
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