Circling Dog Idling Tempo

Remember about ten years ago there was a movie called
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon ?

I never saw it -- think it won some Academy Awards.
That quaint and exotic title made you want to think up other words to "plug in" to create other titles like it.

Yesterday I was thinking / writing about this lost dog that found me last week when I was out walking.
It made me remember another time that happened -- don't know what year -- maybe late 90s:
I drove this blue Ford Tempo with an excellent sound system (the first New Car I ever bought -- got it Paid For, and drove it for several years with no car payments!)...I was parked on Third Street, facing west; went to do something, returned to my car, started it up, slid in a cassette, and suddenly this large dog came running from my left, on the street.

He ran past the front bumper of my car, up onto the curb, and, assuming he would keep going in some direction, I put the car in "Drive" and was about to pull out into the driving lane when the dog ran past the driver's-side door, coming from behind the car, and ran around in front of the car again. Again, was about to pull away from the curb and drive away, when -- here comes the dog, around from the left again, and past the front of my car, and I realized he was heading for the back of the car again, so he could circle again.

"This is weird. Damned if this dog isn't running in circles around and around my car...!?"
It was dusk, getting darker by the minute. The running-and-circling continued and since I didn't want to grow old and retire in that particular location, in my car, thought -- well, I'll get out and see if I can find out where he lives.

I went up and down the street with the dog (it was a big one --maybe a lab) following me and running around ( he knew about "Come on!") and knocked on doors and rang doorbells. People came to the door -- "No he's not mine. No, he doesn't look familiar; I don't know who he belongs to."

Finally, down the street a feed store was open -- lights on, and trucks. I went there with the dog, and there was a guy in there, in charge. We phoned police; yes somebody had called about a lost dog...

The owners were from a town about 50 miles west of here. The man was so happy to come in and get his dog back. He offered me money -- $50, I think.
"No, that's OK; I'm just glad you got your dog back."
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Some women get approached by wonderful men who want to date them and fall in love with them.
I, on the other hand, get approached by lost dogs -
?
(What's up with that?)

There is a school of thought which would say I should have taken the $50. You know -- 'If someone offers you money, you take it!"
I don't know -- the way I handled it felt right. It made me feel really good to see him get his dog back.

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