I will bow to your interest, just because I don’t see how it matters, doesn’t mean it doesn’t matter to others, you. Ok. bad reporting.
Well, less than optimal reporting, anyway. There’s nothing to lose by including that info, and something to be gained. I.e.: probably most readers won’t care, but will not be affected by the inclusion of this detail. For those who do care, it will be a definite bonus.
So I guess you could call it a not-lose/win situation (to include the caliber).
Btw, I’m curious as to what breed of dog ran away, and left the boy to fend for himself. I can see excluding the dog’s name in that situation. It didn’t cover itself with glory that day. Still I’m curious as to how big it was, and whether the breed is normally protective or not. I had a Sheltie once, 28 lbs, who would have faced a grizzly for me. Not exaggerating. But he was a one in a million dog. Not many like him around.