By: Gary Kurz
I made some quick maneuvers, jumping rapidly across four stacks of marble and felt that I surely had confused and lost Scooter. When I laid down on one of the top slabs and peeked over the edge, he was not there. I peeked over the other side and he wasn't there either. In fact, he was nowhere to be seen and I started to get concerned. Suddenly, I heard him yelping and barking from what seemed to be a great distance away.
I mountain-goated my way down to the ground and began looking for him. To my surprise I found that he wasn't very far away at all. He had just been barking from inside a huge hole under one of the bottom slabs. This had muffled the sound and given the impression that he was farther away.
He was aggressively digging and barking under this slab, so I got on my hands and knees to see what he was after. I knew feral cats abounded in the marble yard and often had their kittens under the slabs, so it did not surprise me to see the silhouette of a cat back in the dark, under the slab, near to where Scooter was.
I egged him on by saying "get him Scooter, get him boy". Now, before you think me an insensitive wretch or cat hater, please let me explain. I love cats and would do nothing to endanger them. Scooter was all bark. He always had been. I knew it and he knew it. He was a very fast dog. He had often chased cats and rabbits down, but when he caught them, he didn't know what he was supposed to do next. So he would back off and just look at them. Even when a cat spat or swiped at him, he would just sit with a stupid grin on his face and ultimately turn and run off.
He apparently knew that chasing cats was what dogs did, but I guess no one ever explained to him why. His modus operandi was to chase, catch and hold down; then back off and watch them. He never bit them, never growled, and never stayed interested in them very long after the chase. He just seemed to like to run after them to prove he was faster. He never hurt any of them and I knew this time would be the same
So, knowing this, I had no reservations about egging him on. After doing so, I maneuvered myself to the place I thought the cat would exit when Scooter successfully flushed him out so I could catch him. Right on cue, the cat came running out and I jumped forward to catch it. Everything happened so quickly after that I cannot recall the exact order of events, but I do remember noting that it was the most strangely colored cat I had ever seen. It was black with beautiful white stripes and a very fluffy tail. In fact, it was a cat of a different color.
This thought was immediately followed by a very strange event. Like magic, right before my eyes, this beautifully colored cat transformed itself into a skunk, and a very angry one at that. I had no time to react. I was airborne, in the middle of my lunge for the "cat" when Scooter came shooting out of the hole behind him.
I don't know how I managed it, but somehow I changed direction in mid-air and decided on a sage plan of escape. I think I might have made it too, except for Scooter. In keeping with his routine, he jumped on the back of the skunk and, to be honest, I don't really remember what happened next, except to say that the immediate area was enveloped in a rather sickening cloud of skunk musk.
The author is a retired Coast Guard Officer with over 32 years of service. He is also a Baptist Preacher and Bible Teacher. He helps those grieving the loss of a pet to understand the Biblical evidence that proves they live on. His most popular book, "Cold Noses at the Pearly Gates" delivers hope and comfort to the reader in a very gentle, yet convincing way. Visit at http://www.coldnosesbook.com for more information and tips.
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