Here in central Texas, as well as far south down to the border, we have a problem with rabies. The feds drop baited fish meal by air drop every year along the border to help stem the tide of rabies in everything from coyotes to dogs.
Our nearest neighbor, a widow woman called me about dusk and said she had seen a skunk in my driveway about 30 minutes ago, and she had been out watering her flower garden and this skunk had chased her into the house, she was frantic.
I called the cops and told them I was going to shoot this animal if they were not there in 10 minutes.....I guess that was the wrong thing to do.The dispatcher told me I can't discharge a gun in the city limit's. I told him you get here now, or your going to have to give me a ticket or arrest me, and hung up.
In my youth, I had first hand experience with rabid animals. In the great drought of the 50's, our black lab got into a fight with a fox on evening, and my Dad could never figure out what made that damn fox fight our dog in our front yard, however, it was not unusual at the time for a person living out in the country to not vaccinate their dog for rabies.
About 3 weeks after the fox fight, which the Lab won, I was off the school bus walking in the house when my dog, Blackie, chased me to the front door and bit me on the ankle as I ran in the front door.
Not having a phone, my mother waited by the front door till my Dad came home from work with a 22 rifle just in case Blackie attacked him as he got out of the truck to come in the house, and he did not.
When my Dad got home and heard what had happened, I remember very vividly him saying, that dog has hydrophobia.It was very common in that time, when it had not rained for years and all wildlife watered at the same place.
Any way, he had to shoot my dog, ( sounds like Old Yeller doesn't it ? ) the head was sent to the lab, and confirmed that it was rabies. You know what came next for me.......16 shots in the stomach area. I will never forget that. I want to repeat that, I will never forget the stress and concern that my folks had while I underwent those shots. They as well as me were scared to death, but it all came out well.
The cops got here in 5 minutes, and did not have a shotgun, i told them, I have this 38 and will shoot her now, and they said,no, please leave it to us, so I did and they got another cop with a 12 gauge in about 5 minutes and they finally dispatched the skunk.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabies
This skunk had what my folks always described as " the blind staggers", and there is no question in my mind that this skunk was rabid, I've seen several of them with it when I was younger.
Ya'll take care and vaccinate your pets please..
Suerte
What a waste of buck shot. I never involve the government in anything as it is the long way around to anything.
ReplyDeleteRun, don't walk to the nearest sporting goods store and purchase a box of .22 CB shorts. The neighbors will never hear the shot and the little .22 shorts will kill the skunk DRT. We deal with rabid coons yearly.
ReplyDeleteMy goodness you did have some drama. I would have never thought to call the cops...good idea. .
ReplyDeleteRemember a couple of kids having to get those round of rabies shots but they were due to dog bites like yourself. It never occurred to me that a skunk could bite me and we have several that leave their lovely scent here at night.