rabid skunk?

[theMan]

i live in a suburb. i went outside around midnight tonight to grab something out of my car which is parked at the end of the driveway. when i get out there, i see my neighbor's dog across the street (a large golden lab) is loose and is sort of jumping around and lunging into the street. then i see some small furry animal right in front of it. i quickly realize it's a skunk because it's got its long tail stuck straight up in the air with a white tip on the end. it was jumping up and down and making these hissing and whining noises. i started yelling at the dog to get it to stop lunging at the skunk, but he was really curious. i was sure the skunk was going to spray, as the dog could have easily grabbed it. so i ran over there and tried to grab the dog, and finally got a hold of it, dragged him to their front door, and knocked. luckily they were still awake. they didn't know the dog was outside... after i dealt with that, the skunk was gone. i just couldn't figure out why it didn't spray. my own dog went for a skunk once, and the thing sprayed him immediately. this time, the skunk was just jumping up and down and hissing. really weird. i wonder if it had rabies or something. definitely not something i want hanging around my yard.

 

[irishScott]

Probably not rabid. If it had it's tail up it was planning to spray. Skunks don't spray lightly. Takes time to recharge. If pressed, skunks also have claws and teeth. The dog wouldn't have had a chance.

 

[theMan]

but why didn't it spray? the dog was just right out there going for the skunk, and it was just jumping up and down. my dog goes into the yard for less than 2 seconds and gets sprayed (this was about 5 years ago). maybe it was running on empty? or maybe it was a baby, it seemed a little small.

 

[irishScott]

IMO it was posturing. Maybe it was empty, maybe it was a slightly different species. Maybe your dog learned something from the first experience and was keeping a little more distance.

Also, Skunk kids rarely leave the burrow during the day (had a nest under my porch once). If the kid was threatened, that dog would have some major mama skunk rage to deal with.