The answer is: we had to call Dog Watch! It was worth it. It took the rep all of 10 minutes to find two breaks in the loop, (not just one) and maybe another 10 minutes to fix it. Maybe. All for $99.00. Of course, I wish we didn't wait so long. What finally forced the issue was our dog decided to take longer walks too far from our yard. When the neighbors kept calling that was it. Time to call the professionals.
Thanks all for your help. Sorry it took so long to respond with the solution.