THE DANGER OF FAMILIARITY
I often walk my dog, Jules over on the high school field where I let her off the leash so she can run and burn off energy. I can usually trust her to stay in close proximity to me so I can get her when it's time to leave. I have been walking Jules at the high school for the last couple of years and it's become a very familiar place to her. She instinctively runs to the same groundhog hole hoping to find one or along the treeline hunting for animals. Today, in her excitement she kept getting farther and farther away from me. Confidence to run off on her own is not typical behavior for her because she was a rescue dog who has always been a little skittish. It wasn't long before I completely lost sight of her and didn't know where she had gone. I anxiously called for her and whistled repeatedly waiting for her to respond. Minutes went by and no sight of Jules. I wandered the field longer. No Jules. I finally figured she may have gone home without me because she has becom...