The Genius of Ranger

Everyone knows that Ranger is an exceptional dog but from time to time he goes beyond even our expectations. Case in point. 

Yesterday my husband and I took Ranger out to the pet food store to buy more cat food. The store was having their customer appreciation sale and offering $5 nail trims with the proceeds supporting the local Humane Society. Since all our current menagerie came from the Humane Society we like to support them. And $5 for a nail trim is a good deal. It isn't Ranger's favorite thing but he stood patiently while the groomer clipped his nails. In fact she kept remarking that it was the most effortless nail trim all day. 

When we'd finished buying cat food we needed to go to the grocery store. Trying to be efficient and knowing how much my husband hates shopping I offered to drop Ranger and him off at a nearby nature preserve so they could have a walk while I did the grocery shopping. I dropped them off and told my husband which grocery store I was going to. They set out on their walk and I drove to the store. 

At the grocery store they had a Bar-b-que grill set up outside and were bar-b-queing ribs that smelled amazing. When I was done with my shopping and carrying the bags back to the car they offered me a sample of the ribs. How could I resist. They were so good I decided they'd make an excellent dinner but I didn't want to leave husband and Ranger standing in the nature preserve parking lot waiting for me so I gave my husband a quick call. They were heading back to the parking lot but could take another loop through if I wanted to run back for a rack of ribs. 

I ran back in to get the ribs and the lasagna noodles I'd forgotten on my first trip through. Meanwhile Ranger and Dad headed back into the preserve with Ranger leading the way. When they got to a trail intersection Ranger stopped, considered for awhile, and then insisted they take the trail to the south. This is a favorite place to take Ranger so we all know the trails pretty well and it's hard for us to get lost so Dad agreed to go that way and then to take a little used side trail off that. My husband had forgotten that the grocery store I was going to backed up onto the preserve until Ranger led him out into the store parking lot. That's when he called me. 

I was just putting the ribs into the car when my phone rang. Thinking he wanted to know how soon I'd be there to pick them up I told my husband I'd just put the ribs in the car and would be there in a couple minutes. That's when he told me not to bother that they were coming to me. I looked up and there they were heading across the parking lot. 

So, how did Ranger know where I was? How did he choose a route that would bring them to me? Does he know the name of the grocery store and keep a map in his head of where it is in relationship to the preserve? Did he smell me or the ribs and follow his nose? As the crow flies the distance between the parking lot of the preserve and the store is probably half a mile or more but the trails meander so the distance by trail is more. I have many more questions than answers perhaps it was all coincidence and we're just reading too much into it but this is Ranger we're talking about and these days I put nothing past him.