[View Point]

My dog once was sprayed by a skunk. As anyone who’s been sprayed by a skunk, or anyone who’s had a pet sprayed by a skunk or anyone who’s been within a 10-mile radius of anything that’s been sprayed by a skunk knows, it’s not fun. It stinks.

But what I discovered as I scrubbed clean my 90-pound pup was that once I got over the initial anger and frustration of the situation, it was kind of funny. There I was, struggling to clean up this huge dog (who has two thick coats of fur) and all I could do was laugh at myself (and her).

Maybe because I’ve had my own skunk experience (hopefully my first and last) is the reason I enjoyed this month’s cover story, "The Great Skunk Hunt" by Scott McNeely so much. Every time I work with Scott on one of his articles I learn something new. His feature, which appears on page 24, begins with a story Scott recalls from his high school days — long before he was the owner of a rapidly growing North Carolina pest management firm — about catching a skunk and the misadventures in doing so. Fortunately, Scott approaches a skunk job today much different than he did so many years ago!

Scott contributes a couple of articles a year to PCT and I know as soon as his e-mail hits my computer that I’m going to have a good time reading his work. And the best part about everything he sends to PCT? Well, actually there are two good things. While his articles always have a dash of fun and bit of "Southern attitude," they contain real-world experience and information that is valuable to our readers. In addition to telling us about his past adventures, Scott discusses skunk biology and a variety of control methods, all important information when you receive that frantic call from a customer. I hope the rest of our annual wildlife control issue proves just as educational as our cover story.

Also, please take a moment to check out our semi-annual Commercial Product Guide, which begins on page 107. There you’ll find 10 pages of new and updated products designed specifically for the pest management industry. This month, PCT’s Product E-newsletter subscribers will receive information about these products as well, so keep an eye on your inbox for more great product updates.

And finally, I’d like to draw your attention to one more PCT product we’re promoting in this issue — a 2007 wall calendar that features 13 colorful insect images photographed by Tom Myers, one of the country’s leading insect photographers. Each pest photo comes with a detailed description so pest management firms can personalize the calendar, spotlighting a year-long message to your customers or employees. The calendars are available for as little as $1.99 each and the minimum order is 100. For additional information, see page 127 or visit www.koenigs.com/bestpest/.

As always, The PCT Media Group is working hard to provide you with the widest breadth of informational products in the pest control industry. We hope to see you at the National Pest Management Association’s PestWorld convention and trade show next month where we’ll be unveiling even more industry-leading initiatives. So stay tuned and see you in Texas!

The author is editor of PCT magazine.