As I walked to the stop sign, I checked one message on my phone, making sure I hadn’t missed neighbor Joyce. I ignored the next 24 messages, figuring it was just people chatting. When I came back, Joyce intercepted me at her driveway. She asked, “Did you see the messages about the skunk going under your porch?”

She told me the facts, and I resolved to look at clumps of messages next time. Neighbor Julie joined Joyce and me as she walked Patches. She has had dogs skunked before, and she said a skunk can’t spray again for two weeks!

I went home and read every word of those texts. Shawn saw Izzy go into my yard and chase the skunk. She called it a plump skunk. She was relieved when the dog turned back. The next message said, “Oh, no! Too late! Izzy got skunked again!”

I found this on the internet: “Skunks can spray up to six times in succession if they feel threatened, but they only have a limited amount of spray and it can take them up to 10-14 days to replenish their scent glands.”