" What do you think this means?” Mrs. Hatford asked her husband at dinner.
“I think somebody’s large dog is loose, and an awful lot of folks are letting their imaginations run away with them,” said Mr. Hatford.
“If there is a creature like that running around Tom, we ought to be awfully careful about leaving our doors and windows unlocked,” said Mother.
“Ellen, if there is a creature like that around Buckman, it’s a creature, not a human,” said her husband. “It’s not as though it’s going around opening windows. "

― Phyllis Reynolds Naylor , Boys Against Girls (Boy/Girl Battle, #3)