[Romeo Void]

A little background to this story, my sister has had noises in her roof so she's thrown some bates up there thinking it was a rat.

Back to the main story. My sister (L) has an adorable whipped (Poppy) who was desexed many moons ago, before she even reached puberty I'd imagine. L noticed a revolting smell in the garden so went looking for the source but couldn't find it. The next day she'd decided to give her dogs a bath and clean their bedding and when she got close to the dog kennel the smell became overwhelming. As she pulled a blanket out a dead rat fell out. It hadn't decomposed and it was warm like Poppy had been laying on it. L was surprised that that much smell was coming off an undecomposed rat, that's when she found the other two rats in the back of the kennel.

L said she thinks Poppy found the half dead rats and tried to mother them. Has one of your dogs ever done this? It's just that she was fixed so young.....

I'm just a bit astonished, and a little sad for Poppy LOL.

[MrsLexiK]

We had one dog who every spring time would dig like a nest. My mum and dad who had both grown up with breeders and show dogs remember there non desexed doing this when they were younger.

[FiveAus]

Ive got an almost 7 yo Aussie Shepherd who was desexed as a baby, and treats her soft toys like they are puppies. She tucks them in close to her tummy, she holds them gently between her paws, she runs to protect them if she thinks one of the other dogs is going near them.
She also lifts her leg to pee, dominates every other dog she meets and starts fights over food.
She is my proof that the only thing desexing does is take away the ability to have babies. It takes away no natural instinct at all, and has no effect on a dominant nature. It hasn't affected her growth either, she is the smallest Aussie I've ever seen and in perfect proportion. I've read claims that desexing before adulthood causes dogs to grow bigger. If it did in her case, she would probably have been a midget.

[FiveAus]

Oh, and she brings her "puppies" to show me, at all times of the day and night and at 2am, I take them and toss them in the wardrobe without feeling one bit sorry for her. Because she insists I love them as much as she does, and pushes them into my face and under my chin while I'm trying to sleep. As soon as I remove them, she goes to bed and sleeps too.

[minimae]

I'm not sure about the desexed thing, but isn't it dangerous for dogs to chew/lick dead rats that have been poisoned? I always thought you had to be super careful with rat bait and dogs.... Dogs can be poisoned by the rats body. At least she's not chewing them! But something for your sister to be aware of...

[Bwok~Bwok]

First - I'd be taking the dog to the vet to make sure she hasn't been poisoned from the rats.

Also rats stink when they die, no matter how long they have been dead for.

Also, my female who was desexed after her first heat, loves nothing more than rubbing herself in anything that is dead if she can get away with it. To them it's like 'perfume' - so you'll most probably find that is what she has done as well.

[*Spikey*]

I'm more in the camp of she was saving them for 'ron.

Later on.

Whippets have a fairly strong prey drive, my guess is she's 'finished them off' when they've come looking for water, and them dragged them off to her lair to um, potentially eat if she felt like it (if you're a dog, this makes sense, trust me). Lairs are good spots for hiding bones and corpses and other things you intend to eat later.

Also, if you're sitting on them, other people (and dogs and things) can't take them away from you.

So no, I don't think this is a maternal urge at all.

(The PP with the toys - not maternal, just a game)

[Romeo Void]

minimae my sister wasn't expecting any actual rats, she thought they were probably possums. She's very grossed out and shocked that there were four of them (they found another in a drain).

Spikey that makes sense, I'll let my sister know. I think she's feeling a little sad that she never got to have a litter. Now that you mention it I had a dog that would roll in the most disgusting stuff, one time he disappeared into some long grass and came out with human feces smeared all over him. There were nuggets wedged into his collar. I handed his lead to my DH and said 'you take care of this' and walked home LOL.

[dreamingofcats]

How strange OP.

We had a cat when I was a teen, male and desexed. Was a very happy boy. We brought home a kitten, would have been lucky to be six weeks and the kitten thought it was his mother and tried to suckle from it. Older cat then suddenly decided it was the parent and would let it suckle and nutured it. Was very weird.

[Romeo Void]

Well she does groom/deflea the cat and their other dog, and has been known to round up soft toys. I don't know, I'm kinda thinking it might be what Spikey said though. Nicer idea than she's pining for puppies that she can never have.