J'adore Pepé le Pew

Nadine had three sisters, all as black and white as she is. They most likely spent their lives together, near each other in cages, or maybe they got to play together if they were lucky. Who knows. They had eight years together and then nothing. Gone. I am so tempted to call the Anti-Cruelty and ask where the others went. I want a doggie play date with Darcy Jane, Doris, and Myra. In my anthropomorphizing way, I am sure Nadie misses her sisters. I promise this is going somewhere...

My parents live quite set back from the street. Not much light and a fair amount of your typical wildlife for an urban area: deer, possum, raccoon and squirrel. At night, some of these guys like to come out and explore, leaving interesting smells behind. Nadine ignored the intriguing aromas in those early days, but toward the end of her visit, there was finally something she couldn't resist.

Walking down the dark driveway so Nadine could do her business for the last time that night, my mom saw a rustle in the bush. Figuring it was a squirrel, she didn't think much of it until Nadine raced into the bushes. As we know, Nadine didn't like grass and bushes twice her height weren't high on the list either. Yet, something was more powerful than the fear of wet toes. Almost immediately, a skunk bounded out of the bush, leaving his signature scent behind. Nadine followed like a sorority girl to a keg party and walked right into the spray. Giving her yet another nickname of "Dumb Bunny."

"That Little Pot" (another nickname bestowed on Nadie after doing something nonsensical) had been getting a bit rank when she first got to my parents, so my mom had given her a bath. Not two days later, Nadine pooed in her bedroom-bathroom and proceeded to roll in it, requiring a second sudsing. After the Skunk vs. Nadine championship lightweight title fight, Nadine was getting a bath for the third time. No dog was ever cleaner... or more irritated that every time she started to smell good again, these crazy humans would stink her up with shampoo.

So when Nadine found the skunk, could she have been seeing Myra, or Doris, or Miss Darcy Jane? Hoping for a playdate with her besties? Who knows what happened in that little head of hers, but I hope she wasn't too disappointed.