A couple had been married for many years. They had no children, but they did have a poodle that they both loved dearly. The wife was a sweet, sensitive woman who had a lifetime dream of going to Europe. The husband loved his wife but he had a reputation for having no tact at all. This his wife took in stride, because she knew how he was.

Finally the woman was able to realize her dream of traveling overseas. She was very excited when she arrived in New York, ready to board her flight across the Atlantic. She called her husband one last time from the airport.

"Hi, honey!"

"The dog's dead."

Silence.

The wife, crying, then accused her husband: "It's true what they say about you: you have no tact at all."

"What did you want me to say? The dog's dead." (He was upset about it, too.)

"Well, you could have told me the dog was on the roof. Then when I called from Rome you could have said the dog fell off the roof. When I called from Paris, you could have said, 'Honey, the dog's at the vet, and he's not doing well at all.' Then when I called from London on my way home, you could have told me the dog didn't make it."

"OK, I'm sorry! I know I don't know how to word things! You know how I am! Sorry!"

The woman's flight was boarding, and she had to get hold of herself and try to end the conversation on a positive note.

"How's mother?"

"Uh - she's on the roof!"