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Which punctuation is correct for this sentence? :

"I took the dog to the park this morning and, of course, he needed a bath afterwards because he rolled in the mud."
"I took the dog to the park this morning, and of course, he needed a bath afterwards because he rolled in the mud."
"I took the dog to the park this morning, and, of course, he needed a bath afterwards because he rolled in the mud."

I specifically want to know about instances where the independent clauses are long enough that they cannot reasonably go without a comma between them. I've been struggling to find an answer for this anywhere.

Edit 1: To Edwin Ashworth - No, unfortunately that does not answer my question. That example uses a complex sentence, where I am specifically wondering about compound sentences.

My confusion lies in the fact that compound sentences require a comma before the conjunction, but if there's a disjunct or a parenthetical expression after the conjunction, does it change the rule?

Edit 2: I see what you mean, and while I largely agree that many "rules" are up to the author's style and intent, I'm looking for a rule of thumb in this instance.

If I'm editing a manuscript and I don't know the author's intent, which sentence from above would be the safest punctuation to follow? In this sort of situation, I think it's best to have a rule of thumb and to stay consistent with that style as much as possible throughout the manuscript. Then the author can decide from there what their intent is and whether they keep or reject an edit.

kasethula
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    The first is the only correct version. An adverb, or adverbial phrase, is a disjunct if it is offset from the rest of the sentence and acts as a kind of evaluator for it. There is not a limit on their length but, obviously, (<-a disjunct) they should not confuse the reader. – Greybeard Nov 30 '21 at 10:23
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    *of course* here is an *optional parenthetical element, which if included would normally* be set off by commas (before *and* after the optional element). But those commas aren't necessarily required - if they make the text look over-punctuated, just don't bother with either or both of them. – FumbleFingers Nov 30 '21 at 14:29
  • Just to point out, the only thing that makes the third option different from the first is a comma before the "and" (unless I'm missing something). That's a grammatically separate issue (I'd say it's not needed). – Andy Bonner Nov 30 '21 at 18:48
  • 'Compound sentences require a comma before the conjunction' is a rule-of-thumb, not a strict law. See ect's balanced answer at Comma before 'and' in compound sentences ... necessary or not? – Edwin Ashworth Nov 30 '21 at 18:52
  • If you want a pause after 'morning' in reading aloud, you can show this with a comma (or, if you'd like a more dramatic pause, a dash or ellipsis). Punctuation over-prescribers will cavil at this, but there isn't a Punctuation Czar. Provided clarity and reasonable conventions (ie outside grey areas) are maintained, punctuation can be used to indicate the way the author wants something read. – Edwin Ashworth Nov 30 '21 at 19:05

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