living in a cage

I was living in an enclosed space with a few other people. We were there temporarily; weeks, months or years, I am not sure. The space was caged and we had various belongings with us. We could see out of the cage - the walls themselves were only about six foot or so high - but we were resigned to remaining in the enclosure until it was time to leave. Through one side side of the cage, we could see into the neighbouring yard where a huge black and orange rottweiler lived. The dog's yard was downhill from our space, so I thought it unlikely that the dog would be able to jump the fence; the fence would have been at least ten foot from the other side. The rottweiler, however, determinedly hunched down, focused and sprang into the air, clearing the fence and landing among us. He immediately came to sit beside me. I was nervous, sure the dog was dangerous, and cowered, not wanting to aggravate him in any way. He sat even closer and nudged me with his paw. Eventually, I offered the dog my hand and he placed his paw in it, confirming his intention to be friends. When I had relaxed and he and I were acquainted, he jumped back over the fence into his own yard. Not long after, some old friends delivered presents for each of the people living inside the enclosure. We were very excited. I opened packages containing various cards and items of clothing. I was thrilled to unwrap a dress that I had owned when I was young. I checked with my sister (who was also living inside the cage) and she verified that that was the same dress I used to wear. Somehow the act of receiving the gifts and resurrecting the past, readied us to leave the enclosed space. We were freed.