Two Stinky Things

[bunn]

1) the drain outside our house got blocked. I lifted the manhole cover, and found the shaft down to the drain was full of Horrible Awful Stinky Things that had risen to lap at the very edge of the cover (and had been leaking out if anyone had a bath in the house). I poked around with a spade, but was unable to dislodge anything.

But! we called a Drain Clearance man, who came within an hour, stuck a Device down the drain, twiddled it, and it was fixed! He did charge £180, but for that, we got someone who knew exactly how to do it, AND showed Pp where to buy a similar inexpensive Drain Twiddling Device, and how to twiddle it next time. Which makes it seem like that story about £5 to fix it, £175 to know *how*.

2) I took Theo to the beach, and he found a really, really manky runny dead seal and rolled in it. I brought him home and ran him under the outside hose. The Seal Smell remained. I used the usual dry dog shampoo. Still there.

I've just given him scrub scrub scrub, rinse, repeat with mint-scented dog shampoo under hot water in the shower. I can still smell it. Not sure if it's really still there or if I'm imagining it at this point.

Comments

[grundyscribbling]

Yikes to Theo rolling in Dead Seal. (I also winced at the previous commenter's suggestion he would love to encounter a skunk. Though in fairness, he might well enjoy it. Skunks can be quite sociable.)

[bunn]

I am devoutly glad that Theo and skunks are separated by a vast ocean.

He's not usually a roller, but there is apparently something very exciting about rotten seal.

[marycatelli]

More to the point, it is simple to deal with Skunk Smell. You wash the dog in tomato juice.

[grundyscribbling]

Oh, that sparked a thought. I think lemon juice helps neutralize the decomp smell? That's what they say to use on human hair, anyway - worth a try for Theo?

[bunn]

The mint shampoo seems to have done the job for the manky seal, but I shall make a mental note of lemon juice for next time (inevitable, I fear, though I hope next time it will be a rather less mature example)

[grundyscribbling]

Sympathy in advance if Theo has a fondness for eau de dead seal!

[bunn]

Well, the mint shampoo seems to have done the job for the manky seal. I hope never to have to deal with skunk!