Meet The New Neighbor

Last night, about 1:30 a.m., as Sparky and returned home from our nightly walk, I heard some unexpected scratching from the landscaping surrounding a house about half a block from where I live. Dimly, I realized there must be an animal in there somewhere, but what kind of animal? It couldn't be a bird, because they chirp, if they make any sound at all. Cats are virtually silent, and dogs would come bounding out of the bushes upon seeing Sparky, so neither seemed likely candidates. Possums sometimes make noise, but their noise is inadvertent, and I suppose it could be from raccoons, but I see them rarely. So, what kind of animal was in there?

Suddenly, I saw it, waddling away across 22nd Street. Alerted to my presence, it turned towards me and pointed its tail straight into the air, an unmistakable warning. Omigod, it's a black-and-white striped skunk! Here, at the edge of Curtis Park! Sparky, who had been trailing, investigating scents, never saw it. Reassured that we weren't in pursuit, the skunk turned and vanished into the inky dark along Sloat Way.

Now I realize skunks do get into the city: sometimes you smell them around the I-5/Highway 50 interchange, but at least at that location, the river is nearby, and there is a bit of land to support them. It must be harder here, closer to the urban core of the city. Next to polar bears, skunks have the least fear of humans - for good reason!

Sometimes it's a blessing that Sparky isn't a younger dog.....