Eau de great stinking corpse lily

Joe is so consistently well-behaved that we've not been faced with a disaster that demands he go to obedience school. B. doesn't really believe in them anyway.

However, Joe is now 10 months old and strong - very strong. With a hop to grab an especially delicious looking stick, I can be nearly pulled over. It's infrequent that he becomes oblivious of my presence at the other end of the leash, but it does happen. And I hate to be lurched off my feet, as if at sea, while only walking my puppy.

This is Joe's first spring and he is very charmingly attracted to flowers and plants he's never seen before. It's hard not to melt at the sight of your puppy breathing in the fragrance of Iris. Even after you've been yanked 3 feet to give him the pleasure.

It's sad too to realize that this is simply 'cataloging' for him, now that he recognizes that 'that' flower has 'that' smell, he'll never do it again. Because in some sad silly species-chauvinistic way, I'd like him to enjoy the scent of flowers.

And perhaps if I can find a great stinking corpse lily, he would.

In a month, though, flower-appreciating or not, off we go to Obedience School.