James Joseph: Personal Choice (4)

This blog post is a simple recollection of something that happened to me recently. About 1 month ago, I noticed there was a group of 4 middle sized dogs meandering about campus. I began to follow them out of curiosity, but was unable to ever catch up with them. I was however able to continue following them for some time (40 minutes roughly), which took me down the infamous Shoe Lane for some .5 miles. What they were doing intrigued me, though I've never been able to quite determine what their purpose was. They would traverse around yards, one by one, starting in the front and eventually going to the backyard. They never sniffed the ground as if they were following some trail, yet they seemed to have a purpose with what they were doing. After passing by 20 houses, which of course they thoroughly traversed, they stopped at one house in particular. There didn't seem to be anyone living there at the time, yet the pack of dogs just stopped in front of the door and waited there. They didn't bark, and they didn't even sit. I was really intrigued by what this place meant to them, but didn't get the chance to observe them any longer. For after watching them wait in front of that house for two minutes, they noticed me (or had already noticed me before) and came up to me. They were semi-hostile at first, barking and growling (only the slightest bit though). They sniffed my hand and legs for a quick second, then let me pet them, but only for a few seconds. After this encounter, they merely walked away, right into the middle of the road. They never turned their heads to look at the cars passing right by them, they just simply walked on as if they owned the place. This experience, while not knowing exactly what it means, is unique to me. Hopefully at some point in my life I will fully understand the actions of these animals, and with such will be able to have a better understanding of the world as a whole.