Do you ever feel like you need a good laugh? Some time ago, a friend shared with us her grand dog adventure and I enjoyed it so much that I decided to put it into writing. So here it is.
Lessons That Only Life Can Give
I remember that day vividly. It was freezing cold outside and I didn’t think it could get any colder. But then again I have never experienced such a winter. A series of severe snow storms were sweeping across the United States, reaching even the Deep South. It was sad to see that power companies could not handle the situation. We were waiting for hours for everything to go back to normal but nothing seemed to happen. No lights, no heaters, no microwaves… not even a single hot cup of tea or coffee! The only things we could do was huddle together and pray that our power would come back on soon enough because who knows how long this will last!?
In the evening the air was crisp and the snow was crunching under my boots as I let out my dog for his evening constitutional. I watched him sniff around busily in the snow before I returned back into the house leaving our four legged friend roaming around the back yard.
The dog’s loud barking drew my attention. I looked out the window and saw him digging into the ground with his paws, enthusiastically erasing all evidence of what he was up to. “I wonder if he knows something we don’t,” I pondered but didn’t think about it for long.
Shortly afterwards I heard his familiar “knock.” I opened the door and my jaw dropped. “What in the world…?” I exclaimed. He wagged his tail and nudged me with his nose, begging for an entry into our home.
“Help!” I yelled back into the house towards other family members. “We are in a big trouble!”
The entire family ran to the door with dad in the lead. As they reached the sight of us, they stopped in their tracks. “No!” said Dad sternly, pointing a finger at our four-legged friend. The dog looked up guiltily as if asking what we wanted him to do next. The smell was unbearable. Now we all knew what just a few moments ago was his secret. He found a skunk!
As it was freezing cold outside, we just could not leave him in the elements. But the smell was getting worse and we had to do something about it fast. So, we took him and scrubbed him vigorously with snow and towels but nothing worked. Finally, in a desperate move, we shoved him to the furthest place of the house – the guest bathroom. His smell lingered not only in my nose, but also in the air. The bathroom now smelled like skunk as well! He sat patiently in the middle of that tiny space, watching us through his long, dark lashes. His tail thumped against the linoleum as he waited for my verdict. I sighed, closed the door and left him with his own thoughts.
After three days of us bundled up in all our warm clothes, eating cold meals and surrounded by air fresheners, the snow melted and the power came back on. You can guess what we did as soon as it was possible: Gave the dog a bath!
So next time when you are doubting whether anything could possibly be worse than it is now, just remember the coldest winter in the Deep South, the power companies failing their customers and my wonderful four-legged friend.
