This started with Margaret (one of the most organized, proactive people I know).
We were enjoying wine in her apartment one afternoon and she mentioned, almost as an aside, that her dog Gwenie (the cute cream colored pup pictured above) had gotten skunked the night before. I couldn't smell a thing. Not a trace.
Margaret described the "go bag" she always had next to her door. Her go bag was basic: "The Mix" ingredients. She also mentioned something else in passing: she'd thrown out the clothes she was wearing.
This wasn't Gwenie's first skunking, and it wasn't the first outfit she'd lost to one either.
I'm not proactive. I'm not organized. I heard this, and thought about all the people (including me, and Birdie, the black and white dog) that could be helped with this idea.
That conversation is where Skunk Kits actually started.
Intentional sourcing
You might see the cost of skunk kit and wonder - why so much?
None of this is about padding a box with stuff. Every kit has items beyond the "mixture" that earn their place because they solve a real problem.
- The suit and gloves protect your clothes.
- The towels and measuring tools are responsibly sourced.
- The bucket is there because at 11pm, hunting for a container you can use in your dark garage is avoidable.
- Aftercare depends on the kit you buy, but we've thought about that too.
A Skunk Kit is what happens when you've thought through the worst version of that night, and built something that makes it easier.
The cover-alls are there to protect you
Cheap disposable suits are usually just tyvek, a paper-like material built for dust and light splashes. It wasn't built for oil. Skunk spray is oily, and oil works through thin, porous material fast. Wear a cheap suit and you're one bend or one crouch away from the spray reaching your clothes anyway.
The suit in a Skunk Kit is a microporous film suit, the same category used in hazmat and industrial spray work. It blocks liquid penetration while still letting some air through, so you're not sweating through a plastic bag while you work. That's the whole point.
We've made sure the painter's suit has booties to cover your shoes, and we've added gloves to protect your hands.
No thrown away clothes, no wasting time, meaningful protection.
Disposable tools
What’s so special about compostable measuring tools? That you don’t have to find them. We keep saying it - every second counts. Having everything on hand, where you need to save minutes, not seconds.
The towels in a Skunk Kit come from Midcoast Linen, a family-owned commercial laundry service right here in Belfast. They manage linens for hotels, hospitals, and B&Bs across the region, so quality and cleanliness are their entire business.
These specific towels are retired, still in good shape, just past the point where they can be used. Instead of getting thrown out, they get one more job here: one skunk, one clean, done.
You're not using a towel you care about to get the first pass of stink off your dog. You're using one that can be thrown away guilt-free (or cut into rags, or framed in your garage, you did it!).
After Care
Depending on what kit you buy, we've put thought into accessories that can help you and your pup recover as well. Soothing shampoo, medical grade eye-wash.
We've even a created recipe for our own specialty cocktail (the Two-Wave Mary - you have to use the tomato juice for something!).