dogs steal mail carrier's lunch, then gets an apology note

[link to www.cbsnews.com (secure)]


For decades, students across the country have offered up the classic excuse, "Dog ate my homework." But now, a letter carrier in Smithfield, Virginia is saying, "Dogs ate my lunch." And the story that unfolded has amused thousands of people on social media.

In June, Carol Jordan, who owns a five-acre farm in Isle of Wight, Virginia, stopped at her mailbox and discovered a handwritten note there from the woman who delivers her family's mail.

"Our immediate thought was, 'What did the boys do now?'" she told CBS News.

"The boys" in question are Bear and Bull, Jordan's 6-year-old black Labrador/mastiffs, which she and her husband rescued from a high kill shelter in North Carolina as puppies. Bear and Bull are brothers from the same litter, though Jordan notes that Bull -- the smaller one with the white spot on his chest -- is the ringleader when it comes to getting into trouble.

In this instance, however, it turns out the boys actually weren't in trouble. On the contrary, the neighborhood's friendly letter carrier actually left the family a note out of concern for the dogs' well-being.