Right after I finished taking the photos yesterday of the goat girls in their new condo, I walked over to Lena's Barn to pick up a tool I needed for a project. It was light outside and relatively dark inside the barn, and I was about 10 feet down the aisle before my eyes adjusted to the difference. That's when I saw the raised skunk tail about 15 feet away. Whoops.
I stopped, "processed" this information for a second, and then said, "Oh, it's you."
I could hear her crunching on cat food. Happily. She looked over her shoulder at me, verified my identity, and began crunching again.
It was "our" skunk, who we had named Annie Andrew because, well, we aren't sure of her gender ... though we think she is a she. Somehow we think a fully intact male skunk wouldn't be so, you know, easy-going about these encounters!
Yes, in addition to barn cats we also have a barn skunk. She's been appearing here for about three years and hangs out in the spring, summer and fall. Where she goes in winter we don't know.
She has never skunked us. We told her early on, "Spray us and we'll get the .22. Otherwise, make yourself at home." And she did.
When we startle her, as I did when I walked into the barn yesterday, she will lift her tail as a "friend or foe?" signal. Then, when we talk to her and she realizes everything's okay, she lowers the tail and ... resumes eating.
We knew Annie Andrew had just returned because Alayne came across her Saturday night when she was closing up the barns. She had walked into Lena's Barn and out came Smudge and Skitter, two of our barn cats, from one of the stalls to greet her -- along with Annie Andrew. All three animals walked with Alayne down the aisle to the south doors. It really is the oddest thing.
When Alayne returned to the house Saturday night, she said, "Guess who's back? Annie Andrew." We had been concerned that something had happened to her, because she normally shows up earlier in the spring than late April.
I had left the camera over by the goats' condo, so I went back to get it. I walked around to the other side of Lena's Barn and came in the south end to get a face shot of Annie Andrew. She was still munching on the cat food. (Ever been so close to a skunk you can hear it eating?) We typically pick up the bowls and put them in a sealed container at night so as not to invite other wildlife to come dining in the barn, but as you can tell, any time is a good time to eat cat food for Annie Andrew.
Yes, there is a risk that she -- or the foxes or other wildlife around here -- could get rabies, but that is just a fact of living in the country with critters around. All of our animals, including the horses, get vaccinated for rabies. (Rabies is now considered a "core" vaccine for horses by the American Association of Equine Practitioners.)
Annie Andrew doesn't actually live in the barn, though she does have a hiding spot underneath the south wall, just below Lena's stall, that she retreats to if there's too much activity or she's not sure what's going on. But most of the time she's off in the pastures or wherever skunks go.
After she finished the white bowl, she went over to check out the other two dishes, only to discover she had apparently already finished them, too:
Notice her tail is completely down. That is one relaxed skunk. After I took this last shot, she wandered off and disappeared into the stall we'd been keeping Margaret and her sisters in during the winter. As I walked back down the barn aisle to finally get the tool I was looking for, she was rooting around in the stall, searching for ... leftover goat chow?
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Don't forget, you can vote every day for us in The Animal Rescue Site/PetFinder's Shelter Challenge. Enter "Rolling Dog Ranch" and our state postal code, MT for Montana, and it will bring up our listing so you can cast your vote. We won $1,000 in this online contest last year because of your help and would like to win it again this year. Thank you!
I have a lot of wildlife even though I do live in the City. My house backs up to a greenbelt & I do see/smell the skunks. The dogs in the neighborhood scare them off though. I love how this one just hangs out & obeys the RDR rules. I have a nightly visit from a raccoon. He scales my fence & drinks from the bird bath. I love to watch him & if he sees me he will just stop what he is doing & stare at me, as if to say, ah, do you mind?
Ya know there is a Dog Whisperer & a Horse Whisperer but I think Steve & Alayne are Animal Whisperers. No matter what animal they all like you & seem to understand your communication.
Posted by: Colleen & Sweet Kitty Erin | April 29, 2009 at 06:21 PM
My mother was obsessed with any kind of exotic animal. Growing up in Jacksonville Beach, we had a albino skunk named Pinky. It would sleep with the cats, eat with the cats and even used the litter box. Pinky lived for 11 or 12 years if I remember correctly. It was really hard to explain to my dates that we had a skunk!!
How is Callie doing? I hope ok.. I think of her often as I get radiation too. I have 7 more doses and I am finished. I hope Callie is done soon.
Posted by: Debbie B. | April 29, 2009 at 02:13 PM
Annie Andrew is beautiful!!! She is a smart critter to know how to behave to get free food!!!
Posted by: Nina | April 28, 2009 at 09:38 PM
I would guess Annie is an Andrew because there are no kits around ...unless of course Annie is the ONLY skunk in the area.
You guys are moving up in the polls...keep on voting everyone!
Posted by: Amy A | April 28, 2009 at 12:50 PM
I think the calm and loving vibes you guys give off and that the other animals reflect are felt by Annie Andrew and she/he doesn't feel threatened at all. What a great story and photos! Thank you! I live in the middle of a city and I feed cats that come by right now about five regulars plus a couple raccoons and a possum or two. You would think a hungry animal would eat just about any free food but that hasn't been my experience. I've put out off brands, cheap brands, regular store brands and it will sit for days with nobody touching it. I tried Science Diet and whoa baby! Everybody and their brother eats it. So I have two feeders and a waterer and the wildlife comes. Once two mom raccoons showed up with a total of 9 kids!!! It was wall to wall fur. You want to see cute? Fill up a large litter pan with water and throw in some plastic cat toys and watch the racs have fun!! Some serious Kodak moments!
Posted by: Miranda | April 28, 2009 at 12:43 PM
Annie Andrew is a *neat* skunk, if skunks can be said to be neat. How funny it is that she seems to be an unofficial member of the RDR minion society when Alayne is about.
Posted by: Moon Rani | April 28, 2009 at 12:29 PM
We had a skunk that would come up & eat with the cats & our 2 dogs every night when I was a kid. We lived on a farm/ranch outside of Cascade Mt. I never understood why the dogs didn't run her off but guess they knew better. Wish my mom had gotten a picture of them all chowing down together. I think is is wonderful Annie Andrew is so comfortable around you all.
I see as of this morning you have moved up to #7 in the overall ranking in the Animal Rescue Shelter Challenge. I am cheering you on to win one of the weekly prizes too this time! I have recruited my whole family to vote, you can sign up for a daily reminder so no excuses!!!
Posted by: Kathy | April 28, 2009 at 11:14 AM
You simply MUST compile these blog entries into a book.
Posted by: Lynn | April 28, 2009 at 10:31 AM
What a cutie! That's one thing I miss about being in the city - the only wildlife we encounter in DC is rats! This might explain why it took me 3 tries to correctly guess the animal in the shelter challenge voting page yesterday...how embarrassing!
Posted by: Becca, Sweet Pea & Rocky | April 28, 2009 at 10:26 AM
Ah,Montana. Where it's still snowing at the end of April,and spring is heralded by the return of ... a skunk!
Posted by: Helen R | April 28, 2009 at 10:13 AM
How cute, just another family member at the ranch
Posted by: gayle | April 28, 2009 at 09:32 AM
While I have in fact been close enough to a skunk to hear the crunch of cat food being devoured, we were not on a first name basis! Great compromise you all have managed to work out :)
Posted by: Darcie | April 28, 2009 at 09:29 AM
Yep, been there. A about 10 years ago a skunk showed up that looked like he had a crew cut-thus he received the name Flat Top. I am nearly blind without my glasses and one morning I didn't have them on. I walked outside and bent down to pet the cats and reached over to pet Flat Top --didn't happen. They can be great pets only when the scent gland is gone.
Also, if you are wondering do skunks spray each other--yes, they do.
I burnt a coffee cake and it was smoking so I tossed the pan into our empty garage attached to the house. About an hour later, I heard a ruckus and looked through the door into the garage. Flat Top and a buddy were fighting over the burnt cake. They knocked each other out of the pan. My daughters and I were laughing so hard when one said-"I wonder if they will spray each other?" They backed up to each other and let it fly. Thank goodness it was cold and the smell dissipated fast.
Posted by: Jennie Wiseman | April 28, 2009 at 07:49 AM
What a cutie pie she/he is....I have a possum who breaks onto my porch almost every night to eat the cat food. Isn't is wonderful that she/he is so comfortable around you that you don't even warrant a threat?
Posted by: Debbie | April 28, 2009 at 07:42 AM
I had a skunk in my (city) backyard for several years, along with oppossums and raccoons. She is quite the sweetheart, and clever about knowing where a good, *free* meal comes from. I love to hear about all your residents.
When I was feeding a colony of feral cats, I was fairly certain I was also feeding the rest of the neighborhood wildlife. The cats didn't seem to mind, either.
Please, don't shoot Annie, trap her and release her somewhere.
Posted by: Janet in Cambridge | April 28, 2009 at 07:37 AM
"She" is beautiful as so many wild things are. I am voting for you everyday.
Posted by: Vickie | April 27, 2009 at 11:52 PM
When my mom was a little girl (think 40 years ago) she claimed a litter of skunks that lived under an old building on their farm as her 'pets'...maybe they are the next species we will domesticate lol!
Jenilee
Posted by: Jenilee Graham | April 27, 2009 at 08:42 PM