Fiddler on the Roof, Skunk in the Alley

Dan's mom took us to see Fiddler on the Roof last week - what an incredible show! I had zero expectations about this musical and was blown away by the acting and singing (Tradition! If I was a Rich Man! Sunrise, Sunset! Love it!). The colorful yet subtle lighting made the set so beautiful. My mom was Ingrid's babysitter for the night, and I think she was happy to have some one-on-one time with Ingrid.

Photo courtesy of Marcus Center

We arrived home around 11 - way past our new bedtime of 8 pm and were ready to get some sleep before Ingrid woke up (anytime between 1 and 5). As we were getting ready for bed, we all started sniffing around. Someone asked "Does it smell like burning in here?" and we agreed, yes, it indeed did smell like burning. And the smell was getting stronger. Dan turned on the lights and saw that Harper's eyes were bright red and she was smelling more and more like skunk-spray by the minute.

Dan carried Harper to the front porch and my mom started opening all of the windows while I frantically Googled "Can a skunk spray smell like fire?" and "Dog sprayed by skunk." Turns out, you are not supposed to soak a skunk-sprayed dog in water - but instead mix hydrogen peroxide with baking soda and rub all over your pooch. Thank goodness Ingrid was asleep because the apartment was a circus.

After Harper was dried off and given a sufficient amount of treats, Dan "investigated" the skunk-incident and we determined that the back gate was left open, and Harper wandered into the alley and encountered, what she thought, was another playful puppy. After the circus calmed down, I thought about how incredibly sad and scary that must have been for her.

Poor little Harper. Neglected by her owners. Visitors push her away to cuddle with this little screaming meatloaf. So, she searched for a little buddy, a normal little friend (sometimes I don't think Kitty cuts it). The dogs next-door are psychotic and the downstairs dog is so dumb it doesn't recognize his own name - or have the ability to make eye contact (so creepy). Harper made her escape, found a little friend and must have thought, "Ahh, a local puppy - a glimmer of hope!" And then, got a rude awakening when she was sprayed in the face. She hung her head in defeat and came home.

It's hard balancing attention between Ingrid and Harper. I love Harper just the same as I did before we had Ingrid - but, I need to do a better job to make time to play with just her.

Harper - gifting her armless frog to Ingrid, in hopes of earning additional walks. 

I think they're going to be buddies.