Pondering why dogs roll in stinky stuff?

Ella has been on a roll, so to speak. She has had to have a bath at least 4 of the last 6 days all because she finds lovely smelly things to roll in. They don't smell so lovely to me. I find the smells downright disgusting. Why does this adorable, soft, furry friend of mine feel the need to make herself reek of I don't even want to know what? So I poked around and found this from the book "Why Do Dogs Drink Out of the Toilet" by veterinarian Dr. Marty Becker.
Q. Why do dogs love to roll in stinky stuff?

A. You know those sprays and plug-ins you use to make the house smell fresh? Your dog is not impressed. If your dog were choosing a scent to make the house smell perfect, she might pick Old Dead Squirrel or Pile o' Cat Poop.
As much as we love our dogs, we have a difference of opinion when it comes to defining what smells "good." Considering that our dogs' sense of smell is hundreds of times better than ours, who's to say which species is right about what smells the best?
Now, about that rolling in those malodorous messes. It's pretty simple, actually: People like to put on nice scents, and so do dogs.
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 $20 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. But to discover an entire rotting fish or other large pile of nastiness often triggers the urge to celebrate with a hearty roll; like a person who won the lottery throwing $100 bills all over the bed and "rolling in dough." You've noticed how silly-happy they look doing this, haven't you?
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.
Of course, none of our pet dogs have to hunt for their supper, but old instincts never really go away. That's why if there's a bad smell available, there's a good dog happy to roll in it. And not long after, a spoil-sport human with warm water and soap ready to ruin it all -- from the dog's point of view.

So there you have your little dog lesson of the day.
~bekuyps