There is no way to get a grip on a dog so that you can give it a legitimate
hug. You wind up hugging it around some delicate reproductive organ ...
Puppies smell fine. Old dogs don't smell that terrific. But when it comes
to dogs in their middle period, it's not that clear-cut. One of the
toughest and most exhausting things to figure out is if a middle-aged dog
smells all right or if it's a little off.
-- Bruce Jay Friedman