Oh man, I hated dealing with the ticks back when I had a dog. One time I found one that had fallen off after it had fed.
Dog Travels More Than 50 Miles from Kansas To Old Home in Missouri, All by Herself A female Labrador mysteriously covered a vast distance to arrive back at her old home that she and her family left two years ago. By Akshay Saraswat July 19, 2020 09:49 +08 The loyalty that dogs have for their owners is legendary. But one dog has proven that her love for her old home is superior to that for her family. Cleo is a mixed-breed Labrador who is owned by a family in Kansas. They left their old home in Lawson, Missouri in 2018 and took Cleo with them. But the four-year-old dog went missing earlier this month from her family's current residence in Olathe, Kansas. Around a week ago, the family had even posted an ad about Cleo's disappearance. The dog's family's old house is now occupied by the family of Colton Michael. He was in for a surprise when his family found this Labrador sitting on the front porch of their house. The dog wasn't trusting the new folks and took his time in letting them check her for any clues to its identity. Cleo reached her old home Twitter "She wouldn't let us come near her... She finds her way home, and there's some strangers living in it. That would be scary for anybody," Michael told a local news channel. Eventually, the Michaels found a microchip on her which showed that she belonged to the previous owners of the house. The distance between the current home and the old home of Cleo is approximately 57 miles. On top of that, there is also a river that lies en route. How did the dog manage to travel such a long distance remains a mystery. But Drew, the owner of the dog is overjoyed, and also a bit surprised by the feat accomplished by their furry family member. "It's the most bizarre story. Really, she's everything to us and to my mother... It just feels really good to be reunited with her," he said. Dogs are known for their acute sense of smell. However, to trace down a house that lies not just in another town but another state requires much more than a sharp nose. Also, for a dog to survive such a long journey is also against the dog. Attachment to a place of residence is a trait more characteristic of cats and dogs. The former are considered averse to leaving their place of residence while the latter is known to be more committed to their family members. This adds another layer of mystery to the entire episode.
Funny dat, especially since I sent this link to a friend yesterday. Dogs may use Earth’s magnetic field to take shortcuts https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/07/dogs-may-use-earth-s-magnetic-field-take-shortcuts
That is so amazing to me. Imagine if you were dropped off somewhere in the woods 50 miles away and then was told "Ok, now you have walk back home. The only problem is that you'll have no food, no water, and your ability to read street signs has been removed..... oh and hitchhiking is not allowed either. Good luck."