The Dog Star: Beagle Escape
(The Dog Star is a symbol of power, will, and steadfastness of purpose, and exemplifies the One who has succeeded in bridging the lower and higher consciousness. – Astrological Definition)
Yesterday I’m getting ready to hit the pool when the phone rings, and a young woman asks if I have a beagle named Buddy. Uh, oh.
The side door to our home has a storm door, as well, and we had left the regular door open. Bentley, our German Shepherd, saw the storm door ajar, pushed against it, and they both vamoosed. (This is our crime scene recreation.) With Rin Tin Tin as his idol, Bentley stuck around, chased some geese, and we found him peering in the front windows with that dopey dog smile.
Buddy, being a hound, took off for the woods. After receiving the call, I jumped into my car and had to use the GPS to find the address, a half-mile away as the crow flies, and a mile away as a Bentley drives. Two girls had him on a leash (they also own a Shepherd) and were petting Buddy when I arrived to retrieve him.
Buddy has a collar with his name and our phone number, tags on the collar with his ID and phone number, his dog license, and a chip inserted in his shoulder (not to be confused with the chip on his shoulder). These are called “contingent actions,” since the “preventive action” is that we not allow him to escape. The contingent actions are activated when preventive actions fail.
So, too, for you. We have two generators to run our home if the power goes out (which it did over the winter for two days). I have a lap top that duplicates everything on my large computer, and I have hard copy of crucial files in case I have no electronics at all. We all used to have spare tires, but many cars don’t any more in an effort to reduce both weight and expense. Not all contingent actions are in place or effective unless we check periodically.
For you (and your clients) it’s a “must” to have effective preventive actions, which save time, money, and embarrassment (no matter how excellent the sprinkler system, the fire has already begun). However, in most cases, we need contingent actions when preventive actions fail, are disregarded, or are forgotten.
You never know when a Beagle is going to make an escape, you just know that, given the opportunity, he will.
© Alan Weiss 2013
