Modus operandi

"He ran off.  Grab the keys," said with an urgency that belied the early morning glow of scoffee.  With six little words he was off, down the driveway with the sad, empty leash dangling.
 
I first headed off on foot assuming he would not be far while they cried out pleas to the wayward pooch from the car windows. "Come," they begged, "come on boy." It was brisk and the wind was already blowing that morning.  None of us were dressed for an early morning walk and the wind made it hard to discern the rustle of brush from the scuffle of a runaway dog, so I headed back for my coat and car keys. 

"Do you think he ran after a deer?" I implored?
"I don't think he would do that."  
"Let's check down by the pond, just in case he ran after a deer," I muttered, half hoping but really knowing we would not see him in the pre dawn darkness.

Admittedly, there was a moment when I was remembering a collie who loved to run and who, many years ago, was found after many sleepless night, at the pound.  Admittedly, I thought, for a moment, that if we didn't find him, he could end up at a pound.   

"He's probably sitting on somebody's back step, scratching at their door now," she said softly, half wishing and hoping and half knowing her pup's modus opereadi. "There was a missed call," she murmured breathlessly.  "Do you have my dog?"

Just two driveways away, he was happily engaged in an early morning "play date" with the little white pooch at the house.  "Yes," they said, "he was scratching at our door and begging to come in.  We gave him a dog treat because he looked hungry and we worried he might have been out in the cold all night."

Ah, yes, early morning lessons*
* If you run away, you get loving when you return home.
* If you run away, you get dog treats.
* If you want a playdate, scratch at a nearby door!

Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Modus operandi (plural modi operandi) is a Latin phrase, approximately translated as "method of operation".^[1] The term is used to describe someone's habits or manner of working, particularly in the context of business or criminal investigations. In English, it is often shortened to M.O.

The expression is often used in police work when discussing a crime and addressing the methods employed by the perpetrators. It is also used in criminal profiling,^[2] where it can help in finding clues to the offender's psychology.^[3] It largely consists of examining the actions used by the individual(s) to execute the crime, prevent its detection and/or facilitate escape.^[1] A suspect's modus operandi can assist in his identification, apprehension or repression, and can also be used to determine links between crimes.^[4]