"Oh," he said, "so are they going to come by and read it regularly now?"
"Yeah," I replied, "I think they had a new guy, and Sugar was probably out there barking and ... well, you know, a lot of people don't like to go into someone's yard with a dog barking at them. I just told him that she's very barky, but she doesn't bite. It's just kind of her way of saying, 'I know you're here, now come play with me.' He said he'd put it in the notes."
"Well, it stands to reason," said Dad.
"What's that?" I asked.
"You got Sugar for free," he said, raising an eyebrow and grinning a little grin before continuing, "and everyone knows 'a bargain dog doesn't bite.'"
(I shall now pause for the ensuing groans of agony.)