Dogs and Bacon

My dog is crazy, or is it me? I am not really sure anymore. Thomas, my dog, is a good dog, but if something is in his sight that he is interested in, all is lost, he will chase it, run to it, eat it, or throw it about in the air. The only way to even get his attention is to use his shock collar. Now don't get upset, he doesn't need a shock, he needs a beep. I push a button and he hears a beep and that is all he needs to obey. The batteries are dead.
I planned to take the dog and put him on his lead under the big tree in the yard. My dog planned to go play with his friends across the street. I don't mind him playing with the dogs, but the street is busy and I fear for his life. The dog doesn't know how to cross the street without being a moving target for cars. His dog friends across the street know how to cross the street, believe it or not, they stop, look, and listen. So off Thomas goes, across the street, and of course it is also a nature preserve with a locked gate. He is off and running. He won't come. I call and call. He looks back, turns and runs in the other direction. I tap on the gate with the leash hook. I call, I threaten, and all I see is the dust he left behind and I can hear dogs laughing at the idiot person at the gate. I wait. He doesn't come. Now, normally I would just go on about my business, but I just know if I turn my back he will be run over, flat as a pancake with all the traffic speeding by. The people driving by must wonder why I am standing at this gate like an idiot.
I have an idea, I will get Haley's whistle and blow it, maybe he will come. He did come to the gate with another dog, but he didn't come out. He looked at me and trotted off, left the other dog to gaurd the gate while he played. Great. What else can I do? I know, bacon! I cooked some bacon and went to the driveway with the leash in hand and stood there, he wouldn't come to even see I had bacon. So, I got in the car and drove across the street, thinking the dog would bark and all the other dogs would come running. Nope, he just looked at me with his big blue eyes and remained silent. Thanks for nothing! I went back home. They noticed when I was out of sight. Thomas came back to the fence, and was about to take off again, and I go running out of the house calling sweet as could be, "Thomas, bacon! I have bacon, don't you want some?" I acted like I was eating some, and you know, the dog came. Just as excited as could be, he wanted the bacon. I led him to the lead under the tree, hooked him up, and walla, Thomas got a mouth full of bacon. Silly dog!