Possessed learning puppy?!

I'm looking in closets, checking under the couch and chairs and looking behind curtains these days. I'm sure Rod Serling is lurking somewhere in my house!

This search for the boogeyman started after grandson Breiden's birthday. Oh, the party at Wayne's and Nancy's house was great! We had pizza, a bear birthday cake, saw the birthday boy squish his cake and then suck the icing from his fingers and open presents. Doug wasn't able to attend the party :-(. He had to drive bus and, by the time he arrived, Breiden was in bed. But he got grandpa time the next day. Thanks, Nancy!

One of the toys we gave Breiden was a Learning Puppy. Battery operated, learning puppy talks when you touch his ear...he'll say ear. When you touch his foot...he'll say foot. Touch his paw and sings the abcs. pretty cool learning puppy or at least I thought he was neat until....

I watched Breiden one day complete with a birthday balloon (he LOVED his balloons) and learning puppy. I needed to attend a function that day so, when Nancy arrived to pick him up, we were all in a rush. Nancy was getting his coat on with help from Doug and I was getting my stuff ready to head out the door. Later that day I found Learning Puppy on the couch.

"Shoot," I thought. "Have to give that to them tomorrow."

I put learning puppy on the seat of Breiden's walker and went about my evening activities. Later, I laid on the couch to watch a tv show and fell asleep.

Everyone else went to bed as I was "watching" my show, snuggled under the blankets. Didn't see the show, obviously and woke up with a start hours later as I heard...

"Let's play!"

It was a childish voice that surely didn't belong to anyone in MY house! Andy's voice is already several octives lower than it was a few years ago and Jose, too, is getting a deeper voice.

"Give me a hug!" was the next missive. I sunk lower in the couch cushions. My eyes were like saucers.

I slowly rose my head over the couch's huge arms to see the walker. There was learning puppy, head barely visible over the walker tray.

"A B C D E F G" Learning puppy started to sing.

Now, I KNEW this was a VERY sensitive toy. We experienced that at the birthday party when Nancy merely sat him on the floor after Breiden saw it and learning puppy, without any touch, started in on a learning lesson. That didn't matter during my 2 a.m. encounter. When the toy finally shut up for awhile, I snuck around it and ran up the stairs! I snuggled in the bed and put the blankets over my head.

When I got up the next morning about 5, I let Mocha the beagle up for a bit while I got her leash ready for our walk. She moved by the walker and, yep, Learning Puppy went into his next lesson. Mocha stood completely still. Her head cocked to side, she listened to this machine and started to whine. That was it. I picked up the learning puppy and put it on the porch!

Doug told me later there was an on-off switch on Learning Puppy's back. I didn't care. I very gladly gave it back to mom and dad.

Next time I buy a toy, I think it will be a car or blocks. I won't my any more automated toys.

Shades of Chucky!