Comment: My DOW puppy crossed the Rubicon River! Oh my, what shall I do?

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DOW ® has been such a good puppy to our family. We oh so want him returned. After swimming across the Rubicon River, did you see which way he went? Oh I so worry. Italy proper? Or North into the territories? Where the territorialists harbor ill will toward the imperialists? Perhaps you would be so kind as to point on this map which way you saw DOW go.

Rubicon River Crossing (Puppy foot prints not shown.)
Date: 49-45 B.C.

Synopsis: As Julius Caesar gained new conquests for the Roman Republic, the Roman Senate began to fear the popular support that he held over the army and the people. Thus they ordered him to disband his army, meanwhile throwing their senatorial support behind Caesar's rival Pompey for the position of consul. Caesar refused to disband his forces, instead crossing the Rubicon River into Italy proper with his army. Roman law forbade any standing army taking up positions south of the Rubicon River, thus this action ignited a civil war within the republic. Caesar marched to Rome, where he was triumphantly greeted by the citizenry. Caesar then seized power as a dictator and set out to eliminate his enemies. Before he could accomplish this completely, he was assassinated by a group of senators. This conflict signaled the end of the Roman Republic and the beginning of the Roman Empire.

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Consul - the highest elected political office in the Roman Republic.

Crossing the Rubicon - the Rubicon River was considered to be the border of Italy proper, and thus no standing armies were to cross south of the river, in order to prevent an internal military threat to the Roman Republic. To "cross the Rubicon" has become a popular idiom for going past the point of no return.
