'I wouldn't be without my skunk!' owners pose with their Pet
'I wouldn't be without my skunk!' Captivating photos see owners pose with their unconventional pets (scent glands removed of course)
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The photos were taken at Ohio's 12th annual Skunk Fest, a community event for skunk owners and prospective owners, run by enthusiast Deborah Cipriani who owns over 50 of her own.
Unsurprisingly, skunks, which are native to the U.S., make for fairly rare pets. Those that are domesticated are 'far from wild' according to Mr Musi and are found most commonly in Indiana, Ohio, Florida and Texas.
They can be purchased from licensed animal shelters or breeders with a special permit and despite their reputation as foul-smelling animals, most wild skunks only spray the unpleasant fluid when under attack by predators, and most captive-bred varieties have their scent glands removed as babies.
Ms Cipriani, who runs the only rescue center for domestic skunks in the U.S., explains that like cats and dogs, they are smart animals whose temperaments vary considerably.
Fetch: Photographer Vincent J. Musi has captured a selection of owners and their skunks, like Gail Ceneskie (pictured) with her skunk Bella, who is retrieving walnuts from her mouth
My baby: Mr Musi shot the series of photos at Ohio's 12th Annual Skunk Fest, featuring owners including Nikki Edwards (pictured) and her skunk Bandit
Misunderstood: Deborah Cipriani (pictured with Ozzie) runs a rescue center which houses over 50 skunks and says they make excellent pets
Not so smelly: IT manager Shawn Geory (pictured with Allo) is another domestic skunk owner, most of which have their scent-spraying glands removed as babies