my smart, smart dog

I didn't have the presence of mind to photograph Jubilee at the time, but this story needs to be part of this blog.

Today, at the park, I lost my car keys.  Since there is a lot of mud I stick mostly to the main trail now, going all the way in one directions up to the top of a hill where there are houses, then back down to the starting point, then all the way in the other direction to the big hill.  I was at the big hill where I took the photo of Jubilee trotting sideways when I realized my keys were not in my pocket.  My pockets have too much stuff in them anyway - gloves, bags for picking up dog droppings - but the key ring is fairly large and I thought I would have noticed if I had dropped them.  I didn't notice, but I had no keys.

I walked all the way back to the starting point and the parking lot with my eyes scanning the ground and path every inch of the way.  I didn't think that I had ventured off the path.  No keys.  Jubilee was ready to go home and confused when I started back down the path.  I had to retrace my entire walk.  She followed behind me (she usually races off ahead).

I was just past the stream at the bottom of the hill (where the skunk cabbage is), and starting the long climb up to the houses when Jubilee went over to the left, about a yard into the leaves.  I looked at her and just below her head I could see a little bit of blue from the keyring.  She seemed to have just walked over to them to show me where they were!

Now, is this a coincidence or what?  Would I have seen the keys if she had not walked over there, and why did she go to exactly the place where the keys were and stop? 

Animals are amazing beings.