redcrx, the dog was telling me that he'd been visiting the backs of houses, gardens and the garages, with his owner. What the owner had been doing 'walking his dog' in such a way, you've already guessed. If he was seen and challenged he'd say he was looking for/ had just retrieved, his dog. It was notable that the dog was selective.He didn't go to every back door, every garage, just a few, and each time he reacted in such a way that I thought he must live there, such was his interest and apparent familiarity with the address.