Taos, Ted and the No Good, Horrible, Very Bad Day

This picture was NOT taken the night we found the "black and
white cat with the pointy nose and big tail." Mom had too much
tomato juice on her hands last night to take a picture of us when
we were "in big trouble." (Ted is on the left, Taos is on the right).

Yesterday evening the weather was perfect. It wasn't too hot and it wasn't too cold. It wasn't too CRP grass.
windy. Perfect weather for two strapping, young Saint Bernards to run and play and frolic in the

Mom was by the barn planting her gladiolas and my best friend, Ted, and I were wrestling around on the grass beside her. Ted ate too much grass and threw up.....twice....even after Mom told him that would happen. Mom kept telling us what good boys we were for not digging in the dirt where she planted her flowers.

When she got done, she put her spade back in the shed and was feeding Titsy and her kittens in the barn when, to say the least, all hell broke loose.

A black and white cat with a BIG tail and pointy nose came out of the CRP and then waddled back in....Ted and I are very protective of our yard, and that wasn't "our" cat, so, out of necessity, we chased it.

Mom heard the commotion and came out of the barn. She yelled "NO!" and I stopped in my tracks. Teddy, on the other paw, was on a mission. While mom continued to call him and yell at him to STOP he did.....but then started flopping like an idiot around on the ground and barking. I couldn't take it anymore so I joined him.

Mom continued yelling at us and when we finally listened, she was furious.....and we smelled funny. That black and white cat must have had some "issues" because when we got close it shot a stinky, yucky liquid in our direction.

I heard mom call dad and tell him that the dogs had been sprayed by a "Skunk" - what a strange name for a cat. Anyway, we got loaded into the back of the pick up and hauled to Dad's calving barn. Then, mom started pouring red water on us...very strange behavior.

Her and dad dumped 8 big cans of this stuff on us, then sprayed us with the hose. Shampoo, rinse, repeat. Baths never have lasted this long in the past.

After we were dried with the same contraption I have seen Mom use on the show calves, we looked and smelt like a million bucks.

I haven't seen the black and white cat since last night, but I sure can still smell him in the yard. Once we are out of what I overheard Mom call "doggy jail," we will plot how to chase him down again.