Hints From Heloise

De-Skunking Your Pet

Dear Readers: What to do when your DOG GETS SKUNKED? Dogs and skunks, unfortunately, come in contact with each other, usually with stinky results. Getting rid of that odor can be challenging. In the past, people have used tomato juice or vinegar to try to neutralize that awful smell. These can do a pretty good job, but here's the update:

Veterinarians today recommend this formula to do an even better job: Mix 1 quart of 3 percent hydrogen peroxide with 1/4 cup of baking soda and 1 teaspoon of mild dishwashing detergent (check to make sure it does not contain bleach or ammonia). Rub this solution into your dog's coat. Don't let any get into the eyes or ears. Then bathe with a mild pet shampoo. Rinse well.

If your pooch still has a skunky aroma, repeat the process. -- Heloise

CAT HAIR

Dear Heloise: My daughter's two cats somehow manage to get cat fur on my lampshades. I had the brainstorm yesterday to use a lint brush to remove the fur. It worked wonderfully! I read your column in The Washington Post and love it! -- Meredith, Springfield, Va.

PET PAL

Dear Readers: Fran Weathers of Salem, Ore., sent a photo of her kitty, Buddy, taking a look at a candle in a jar. Fran says that Buddy was a year and a half old in this photo, and it was his first experience seeing a lit candle.

If your newspaper doesn't print the pet photo, visit www.Heloise.com, and you will find Buddy there. -- Heloise

FUNNY NAMES

Dear Heloise: I had such a good laugh from your column on funny pet names. Our neighbor's cat had kittens, and one of them, a beautiful white-and-apricot mix with big blue eyes, kept coming into our yard for handouts. We began to love this little kitten and fed it nearly daily. We began to call him Freddie the Freeloader -- a name that truly fit him at that time.

Long story short, we asked the neighbor if we could adopt him, and she said yes. Now he is just Freddie and doesn't need to freeload anymore, for he is well taken care of, and we enjoy him tremendously. -- Janet and Chuck Gallmeyer of Greenville, Texas

PERMISSION, PLEASE

Dear Heloise: In my opinion, teaching your dog the "wait" command is the most important training it can receive. I never let my dog out of the car until she is told "OK," so she knows to wait for that permission. Same for going through exterior doors at home (except for the dog door). -- Martha MacIlvaine, Waldoboro, Maine

BIRD ATTRACTION

Dear Heloise: I love to feed the birds in my backyard. To get as many different types of birds as I can, I buy several different types of seed and put out some sliced fruit. The birds have a smorgasbord of food, and I have a smorgasbord of birds to watch! -- Lillian in Mississippi

(c)2008 by King Features Syndicate Inc.