We lived on base for my last Air Force assignment and it took only a few minutes to drive to my office. Bessy had the timing down to a science. If I forgot my lunch or my briefcase and returned home before I got to the office, she didn’t stir one bit. It didn’t matter how far down the street I went, or how close I got to my office – I could walk all the way up the sidewalk to my building – as long as I didn’t set foot on that first step, when I returned home I got no greeting at all, not even a raised eyebrow.
On the other hand, if I touched the first step outside my office for only an instant, then turned immediately and went home, Bessy greeted me with wags and wiggles as though I’d been gone all day long!
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from Jim, California at the time