GET! OUT!

[Bossy Monkey]

About a week ago, my apartment started smelling like old wet dog, especially whenever the heat was on. As the remnants of Ida were passing through and it was raining colossally, I assumed there was a leak somewhere and figured I'd mention it to the landlady some time or another. (There is a young dry cat in the building, but she hasn't ever started smelling before, so I think she's off the suspect list.) However, today four large black flies have made appearances, the first two one at a time, and the other two all at once. Now I suspect that something dead is in the attic or possibly under the house. (Either that, or I moved to Amityville somehow without noticing it.) The thing is, the smell hasn't changed or gotten stronger. It's nothing like the famous "Did something die in here?" smell of total horror and disgust. Has anybody ever experienced an old wet dog smell in your home (I mean leaving aside those of you with old wet dogs) and if so what was it? The landlady (whom I finally did call when the 3d and 4th flies turned up) helpfully pointed out that if it is something dead, nobody will come and get rid of it for us. So I'm hoping it's live squirrels or something and the flies just came by to criticize my cooking. Your thoughts?

[dugaresa]

1. and the landlady isn't going to have someone investigate

what a crappy landlady and stupid investor. If somethng died in a place I was renting I would sure as hell investigate and fix it. Same with a smell. Sorry but keeping tenants happy so that they don't leave or give you a bad rap is good business.

sorry, just my two cents.

[Bossy Monkey]

3. She was relating what happened when something died under her house

years ago when she was pregnant and unable to crawl underneath to investigate. She's coming around next week with a ladder; it was me who said that it isn't a very high priority.

[muriel_volestrangler]

2. Could it be just the skin and fur of something dead?

If something (eg rats) had eaten most of it, but left the skin (or feathers from a bird?). That'd mean there's not so much to rot quickly and produce a really bad smell, but what there is might be a bit like 'old wet dog'.

[Bossy Monkey]

4. Or there might be a baby mammal somewhere and the flies came for the afterbirth.

On the whole, I prefer that to the suggestion that I might also have rats. (I think I would have noticed evidences of them by now, but maybe not.) Regardless, thanks for the reply.

[rug]

5. This sounds like the first eight minutes of a horror movie.

Do not, repeat, do not go into the basement.

[snagglepuss]

6. LOL nt

[Bossy Monkey]

8. The basement is a crawlspace maybe 18 inches high.

If there's a killer down there (or a dead animal) they're welcome to it.

[annabanana]

7. Maybe you have a wet dog ghost. . .

[MilesColtrane]

9. Maybe that's where Joe (You Lie!) Wilson's sense of decency went to die?

[Bossy Monkey]

10. He never had one n/t