I found out what the horrible smell was

[Nettle]

You know when you just catch a whiff of something nasty, but you can't trace it? Been doing that for a few days.

Mr. Nettle just found a ripe dead rat buried in one of the dog beds. Oh YUK.

What a gentleman - he took it out, maggots and all and called the bantams to deal with the maggots while the rat had a funeral in the woods. Then he threw away the ratty dog bedding. I didn't know anything about it until he came back in.

[Erica]

Oof, that's pretty nasty! Lucky you didn't have to deal with the disposal.

[minkee]

I think that might just be true love

[bendog]

I would love to see your house if a dead rat can go unnoticed for days

Good for Mr Nettle for sorting it out for you

[MissCarla]

Oooh Nettle! I was doing that too recently, until my husband finally thought to pull the bed out from the wall where we found a very, very old and moldy kong with (I think) peanut butter inside.

[Suzette]

Yeah, my hubby gets all the fun jobs around the house too - kill the bugs, clean out clogged drains, remove dead rats . . .

Actually, we did have a cat who once left a half-eaten field mouse in our garage which hubby found after it got a little ripe too. Like you Nettle, I could smell it but not locate it for days. Ick.

[Ari_RR]

Oh, that's nasty..... But I am with Minkee here, all kidding aside - true love shows itself not in diamonds or champagne dinners.. you find it in down to earth cases like this one. Raising glass to Mr Nettle!

Here is a related mystery story, with a lesson.
We had this case too.. a horrible smell, from the garage..only in the mornings, never in the evenings.
Long story short - a bird got stuck between the grill and radiator of one of our cars and got cooked (that's why smell only in the morning, after the car was in the garage all night).
I couldn't pull the darn thing out, and decided to take the car to the dealer next morning to dismantle the grill and all, and get it out.. In the meantime - left the car outside.. way outside of the driveway.
Next morning - the dead bird is gone. No smell, nothing, like it had never been there.. just a feather or two. What happened? Raccoons got to it during the night, squeezed through the grill with their tiny hands, pulled the dead bird out, and I imagine had a feast.

Lesson - don't panic easily, let the nature take its course, and she will handle things for you (whatever that might mean in our every day lives)

[MPbandmom]

Oh hurray for Mr. Nettle!

I usually have to request that dead critters get removed. If they are outside in the yard and very small, I might use the pooper scooper to remove them, but I do much prefer for the men folk to take care of such things. Fortunately, no dead critters have been in the house other than assorted insects. Usually the mystery smell is in the sink, or the refridgerator, or the trash can.

[wvvdiup1]

YUCK! I know what you mean, Nettle! My dog killed a squirrel and brought it into the house, then buried it under my couch, near the wall board registers! I could smell it, but couldn't find it until I lifted the couch and there it was! Needless to say, I had take it out, clean up the maggots, and deodorize the carpet!

[JudyN]

Ew...

I once investigated a strange smell in my wardrobe and found a very dead mouse in one of my boots. I reckon the cat brought it in the previous winter, it took refuge in my boot and died in there, then I didn't wear my boots again and stuck them in the wardrobe at the start of summer. It had been cooking in there for a few months....

[wvvdiup1]

You didn't throw the boots out, JudyN?

[JudyN]

You didn't throw the boots out, JudyN?

I had too The mouse had - er - liquidised to a certain extent, and leaked into the fabric lining. Lovely Ecco boots they were, too

[Nettle]

I normally get ALL the horrible icky jobs so I am just amazed (and very appreciative) that he dealt with it.

bendog, this house is no candidate for Ideal Homes , but I should have made it clear that the dead rat was in one of the dog beds out in the (enclosed) back porch, where all but one of the dogs sleep at night.

[jacksdad]

I normally get ALL the horrible icky jobs so I am just amazed (and very appreciative) that he dealt with it.

what a guy that Mr. Nettle...

.... but you do realize...only 303 shopping days until Christmas I don't want put too much a negative spin on this...just saying

http://www.xmasclock.com/

[Nettle]

AAAAARRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH