Why do dogs enjoy rolling around in dead things?
“One theory on stink-rolling is that it represents a canine celebration of abundance. Now and then a dog will encounter a rewarding tidbit with a pungent smell; it’s like a person finding a twenty-dollar bill on the ground. Sweet! It’s certainly a good reason to stick a canine nose as close to the scent source as possible and inhale all that wonderful aroma. . . . There’s a survival element, too. For a hunting animal, there’s a tactical advantage to not smelling like a predator: The prey don’t know you’re coming. Rolling in strong odors — feces and even dead animals — is thought to provide scent cover, to help predators land their lunch a little more easily.