Most dogs and pack stock, turned loose and left to their own volition, will backtrack the exact path that they came in on. Ruby, if she got lost, or gave up on Todd, will walk back to the exact place she started from. In another few days, once on the road, she would be back home. It is to bad that she did not have a written message or a gps coordinate taped to her collar.

Before the tale is told, imagine the whole situation as if you were Todd.