Dogs and skunks: It has ever been thus

The skunkinator

What is it with dogs and skunks? Aquinnah, our chocolate lab, got sprayed in the backyard a couple years ago, and it was obvious at the time that he did not enjoy the experience any more than I enjoyed cleaning him up.

Yet when Aquinnah (aka Quinn) and I walked out into a snow storm before dawn one day last week so he could take care of business, Quinn was on alert. Head held high, he sniffed the air with a ferocious intensity as we headed across the street to a meadow that is his favorite, shall we say, dumping ground.

That’s when I spotted it - the first skunk I’ve seen so far this year. It was a big one, about 100 feet to our right. With that characteristic waddle that screams “skunk,” this hefty stinker crossed the road and headed down a side street, where it quickly disappeared from view.

Quinn, of course, saw Pepé le Pew before I did, and I had to keep a firm grip on his leash to prevent him from running after the striped guy. I don’t know how well dogs can differentiate among animal species at a distance, but I had the distinct impression that Quinn knew this creature for what it was. In which case, having been skunked before, wouldn’t you think he’d want to steer clear?

Maybe dogs have a poor memory for such things. Perhaps too much time has elapsed for him to recall his earlier encounter. Or maybe, just maybe, Quinn was out for revenge.