I’ve never told this story, and I’ve never seen anything like it before.

My dog, Goldie, sometimes finds ways to get out and run around. That is not at all unusual. One time, however, she ran into a pack of dogs who started a fight with her. I was a stunned onlooker. She fought for a short while, then retreated inside our garage with the dogs chasing her.

What happened next was startling. In the middle of this fight, she rolled over. She presented herself completely at their mercy. It ...