WAY OFF TOPIC, but I would like some help getting my head around this.

One question is about how far the dog runs.

The other question amounts to how far is it to the middle of the forest.

I see where this applies to approach to code, like where you want the code to get versus what the code must do to get there. When time/money is involved, replace code with development and just listen to what people who (think they) know the ends but nothing about the means. It gets real relevant then!