It's Memorial Day weekend and a great day for a BBQ. But I'm not having one. With the high temperatures we've had this past week, it is now a nice, comfortable Saturday with a refreshing breeze....
But the breeze carries the odor of something dead and rotting. I haven't pinpointed it yet but I have an idea that the odd woman next door has something to do with it. She had an older black dog, which has not been seen in a couple of weeks. My son says it appears she has been trying to dig a hole and there is a suspicious looking trash bag on her porch surrounded by flies.
I know it's not HER because I sent hubby out to investigate if perhaps a wild animal or another animal might have died on our property. As he was getting close to her property, she quickly went and shut her windows. Since she's shut the windows, the smell has gone down considerably. BUT... that would mean something else is in said trash bag outdoors and something dead is INSIDE the house. Since I am a horror fanatic, I am starting to think that maybe she got pissed at the man who used to come visit her this past winter (and take out her trash) and she decided to silence him forever. No one else has been allowed inside her house-friends come and get her to go grocery shopping, but they leave the bags on the porch. Recently a friend came and beeped repeatedly, she did not come out.
I called Animal Control this morning. I couldn't stand the smell wafting in with the breeze any longer. I explained that SOMETHING was dead somewhere and my suspicions were with the neighbor lady. Animal Control asked me if I'd SEEN the neighbor lady recently. Yup, so it's not HER. But it's something near her house, that's for sure. Right now, the Animal Control officer is on an emergency call, but they will be here soon afterward. I just can't explain the smell of rotting flesh, but it is VERY offensive. And something you never forget.
Back when we first moved to Maine our neighbors in the next apartment had a huge Doberman. I hadn't seen the dog, so assumed with 3 little boys and all, the apartment was just too small for the dog. I saw the dog again in the Spring.... in a trash bag wrapped up on our back porch. He'd died of Parvo over the winter, and the cold weather had kept him preserved. The tenants had wrapped up his body, and not having the money to dispose of him properly, left him in pieces in garbage bags on our shared back porch. Spring came, and the weather began to get warmer. And with it came the odor of dead flesh. I'd never smelled it before, and was shocked to find out that the dog was dead and decaying out back. I wanted to call Animal Control back then, but the Property Manager came and stuck it out with the trash. Ewwww....
This time I am the property owner, and since this horrible smell is coming onto my property I've called Animal Control. They can call the owner of the house next door (my neighbor rents her house) call the police or do whatever they determine but just get that Godforsaken dead smell out of the neighborhood so I can enjoy my BBQ later this weekend. You know, to dispose of an animal if it dies of natural causes you gotta have $. It goes by weight, and she probably did not have the $100+ to cremate him with a veterinarian office. I think she's disabled, so burying him might take her a long time. Like my son said, it looks like she started a hole, but wasn't getting very far. If it is her dog, she should have asked friends to help her bury him-I'm sure they would have. But then again, she is very ODD.
In the meantime, I am waiting here with windows closed for Animal Control. Will update as to what the offensive smell is once we figure it out. Looks like hubby might have to take me out for a steak dinner if I can't do my cookout, lol.
UPDATE: Animal Control officer came and talked with my neighbor. Neighbor admitted her dog died, that she didn't have a shovel good enough to dig a hole with and her son was coming to do it today. Considering I've been smelling this for the last week, and haven't seen the dog in 2 weeks-obviously she had no hurry to bury him before Animal Control got there. Animal Control told me to make sure dog was buried today, if not, call her back tomorrow. Ewww... In the meantime, windows are closed and I am waiting to see if it gets done. What a freakin' health hazard! Some people....
2ND UPDATE: It's almost 8 PM est here, hubby took me to Texas Roadhouse instead of having our BBQ outside because of the stench. Son said while I was gone a guy came to visit our odd neighbor woman and she told him about the dog. He originally said he'd put it in the trunk and bury it someplace (probably thought it JUST died, little did he know it's been dead about 2 wks now) so when he gets close to the garbage bag, gets a whiff, and almost pukes. Apparently they had words and he told her he "wasn't effing touching it" and left. Neighbor lady now has a better shovel and gloves. Keeps going in and out of her house and my son can see her digging from his upstairs window. Says she is basically burying it in front yard in very shallow hole, just throwing a little dirt over it. I really don't think this will work-poor hubby was trying to change the oil in his car earlier today and had to come in and gag a few times due to the smell, it really is THAT bad folks. Guess I will have to see what tomorrow will bring...just wish she'd buried the darn thing right after he died rather than let him sit in 90 degree temps and decompose...ugh.
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2 comments:
That is like totally gross, but yet very sad. Here's this poor lady probably sad she lost a friend/pet, and she has to bury it herself. Doesn't she have any friends? Oh well, to me that should be turned into Animal Cruelty, no? Well, if it still stinks call the Animal welfare again. ICK! Oh, and I'm a follower, and go check your e-mail YOU WON!
unfortunately, while it IS sad, it is also a health hazard. We don't know her very well, she keeps to herself and her cats pretty much. She seems to love all her animals, so I don't think she had anything to do with his death, he was just an old dog and it was probably his time. What sucks is that vets won't let ppl make payments in such cases as this, so that the dog can be put down humanely if he was suffering and dispose of the body properly. She has a few friends, but probably never even asked them until today when I finally complained. I think the guy that came was a friend, but was pretty upset that she waited until the dog was decaying in a bag before calling someone to help her out. She used to sit outside with the dog all the time, and the bag he was in was next to her chair. I saw her sitting outside several times in the sun and heat last week and smelled the not so pleasant smell, I honestly don't know how she could stand it, but maybe it was some sort of closure for her....
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