It was a dark and stormy night, accentuated with occasional unpleasant wafts of a light skunkish odor. Flashes of lightning silhouetted the shape of a large dog, perhaps a golden Labrador retriever—motionless—peering intently into the tree line across the green sward. The fierce rain fell mercilessly, but the dog did not seem to notice. A number of us observed this strange sight from a covered wooden porch, gathered together in knightly camaraderie. Occasionally, the dog... moreTHE LEGEND OF SKUNK DOG
It was a dark and stormy night, accentuated with occasional unpleasant wafts of a light skunkish odor. Flashes of lightning silhouetted the shape of a large dog, perhaps a golden Labrador retriever—motionless—peering intently into the tree line across the green sward. The fierce rain fell mercilessly, but the dog did not seem to notice. A number of us observed this strange sight from a covered wooden porch, gathered together in knightly camaraderie. Occasionally, the dog would come up out of the rain and wander the porch, gently greeting each of us individually, then return to her sentry post, watching the trees. None of us wanted to pet or acknowledge her presence, because her nearness seemed to increase that odious smell.
Suddenly a prolonged lightning flash revealed something to the dog and she launched like a missile locked onto a specific target, disappearing into the woods. Emerging moments later, she appears to be carrying something. Dropping her package in the middle of the sward, she then disappeared into the shadows. Intrigued by her swift and almost ferocious actions, the men stared at the strange bundle through the pouring rain, but were unable to figure out what it was, even with the help of lightning flashes. One man, young and reckless, just sort of individual you would expect to be an Army tank commander, decided to take direct action. He appropriated a flashlight from another member of the group, donned a hooded jacket and walked boldly into the deluge, determined to identify the mysterious object.
As he closed the objective, the flashlight provided certain visual clues. It was an animal. It had black fur with white stripes. The accompanying skunk-like stench convinced him that he did not need to get any closer or seek any further clues. The revealing of bloody entrails in loops around the body told a tale of total evisceration of a skunk by our canine paladin, doing her duty to save us from the treacherous Mephitidian threat. Her duty done, she went quietly into the night, not to be seen again. As the storm passed, the beautiful sunny dawn revealed, not a bloody corpse, but the complete absence of any evidence of the night's violence.
Other witnesses would later tell about a skunk that was seen earlier, wandering around the outbuildings. Were they one and the same? Was this the enemy of our gallant golden guardian of the night? We may never know, but let us salute this unsung hero, this mysterious golden canine knight, who kept us safe from odious evil. Godspeed, noble friend of man.
It was a dark and stormy night, accentuated with occasional unpleasant wafts of a light skunkish odor. Flashes of lightning silhouetted the shape of a large dog, perhaps a golden Labrador retriever—motionless—peering intently into the tree line across the green sward. The fierce rain fell mercilessly, but the dog did not seem to notice. A number of us observed this strange sight from a covered wooden porch, gathered together in knightly camaraderie. Occasionally, the dog... more