We were late getting home. Halloween was a big event on our street. There were already trick or treaters at the end of the block. As we pulled into the driveway, we noticed that Butch the brindle wiener dog was out and guarding the front door. He was an escape artist and did not like staying in the back yard. Oh dear, he had been out thieving again. There were several stuffed toys beside him.
I instructed one son to put the dog in the back yard and told his brother to gather up the stuffed tops and get them out of sight. We would deal with that situation later. Their sister rushed to get the candy ready. We had to hurry to be ready for the little ghosts and goblins.
Butch had no conscience about bringing us treasures. Before we had fences in our neighborhood, he brought home a package of Gaines Burgers dog food that was almost as large as he was. We never did decide how he got home with it. A few phone calls and we found the neighbor to whom it belonged. Another time he brought home an unopened loaf of bread. We never knew where he got it. The stuffed toys on Halloween belonged to the small children in the house directly behind us. They had put them in a wagon and were pulling them around when Butch showed up to say hello. They went inside and Butch brought their toys to his house.
Butch especially liked stuffed dogs. Our daughter had a dog on her bed. One day it was in the hall. How did it get there? Another time it appeared in the living room. We began to make jokes about a ghost in the house. Butch was an outside dog but would occasionally sneak into the house for short periods. He got caught one day coming out of her bedroom with the dog in his mouth. She gave it to him and he took it to his bed in the garage and slept with it.
Happy Halloween!