Mom's Mistake

I had a PLAN. It was a good plan. Drive past the sign on Hwy 33 that said, “Free Pumpkin at The Hungry Puppy,” keep driving. We were running late. I had groceries in the car. The kids had homework. We'd get a pumpkin another day, I can buy one at the store next time I go.

But then I made the fatal mistake: I said it out loud.

"Oh look, The Hungry Puppy is giving away free pumpkins!"

The backseat ERUPTED.

"FREE PUMPKINS?!"

"MOM, STOP!"

"WE NEED A PUMPKIN!"

"TITAN WANTS A PUMPKIN TOO!"

Titan—my lab who was peacefully napping two seconds ago—was suddenly VERY alert and VERY interested in this pumpkin situation.

"We'll come back later," I said, immediately knowing I'd made a terrible mistake.

"But it's FREE, Mom!"

"You ALWAYS say we'll come back later and we never do!"

"TITAN NEEDS A PUMPKIN!"

I looked in the rearview mirror. Three kids staring at me with betrayal in their eyes. And Titan, sitting between them, also staring at me with what I can only describe as profound disappointment.

I kept driving.

The silence that followed was deafening. Even Titan sighed—a long, dramatic, "I-can't-believe-you've-done-this" sigh.

For the rest of the day, I was reminded of my failure:

"We could be carving or painting pumpkins right now."

"Emma's mom got them pumpkins, The Hungry Puppy gave them one for every member of their family, even Emma’s Grandpa got one."

"I guess we're not having pumpkin pie this year."

"Titan looks sad. It's because of the pumpkin."

Titan, for her part, has been giving me the cold shoulder. She won't sit next to me on the couch. She's been hanging out with the kids more. She even chose THEIR room for bedtime instead of mine.

All because of a pumpkin I didn't stop for.

Dog's Perspective

We were in the car. I was napping. Living my best life.

Then I heard the MAGIC WORDS: "The Hungry Puppy."

My ears perked up. My tail started wagging. THE HUNGRY PUPPY! My favorite place! Where they give me free treats and everyone knows my name and there are SMELLS!

And apparently, there are FREE PUMPKINS. I don't know what a pumpkin is, but if it's FREE and it's from THE HUNGRY PUPPY, I want it.

The kids were excited. I was excited. This was happening!

Except... we drove past.

PAST.

We didn't stop. We didn't even slow down. We just... kept going.

The kids started protesting. I joined in with supportive whining. This was a TEAM EFFORT. We were UNITED in our need for this mysterious free pumpkin.

Mom said, "We'll come back later."

We all know what that means. That means NEVER. That means "I'm saying words to make you stop talking but we're never actually doing this thing."

I sighed. Loudly. So she'd know.

The kids have been talking about this pumpkin ALL DAY. Apparently, it was supposed to become "pumpkin pie" (which sounds AMAZING) and we were going to "carve" it (I don't know what that means but I wanted to be involved).

But no. We have no pumpkin. No pie. No fun.

I've decided to spend more time with the kids. At least THEY understand the importance of free things from The Hungry Puppy. At least THEY wanted to stop.

Mom's been trying to make it up to me with extra pets and my regular treats, but it's not the same. Those treats aren't FREE. They're not PUMPKIN-RELATED. They're not from THE HUNGRY PUPPY.

I'm not saying I'll never forgive her. But I'm definitely going to make her work for it.

The Kids' Collective Complaint

Mom ALWAYS does this.

She sees something fun and FREE, mentions it out loud like she's actually going to stop, and then just... doesn't.

We had PLANS for that pumpkin:

• Carving it into something cool (Jake wanted a dinosaur, Emma wanted a cat, I wanted a superhero)
• Roasting the seeds with cinnamon sugar
• Making pumpkin pie (Dad said he'd help)
• Taking pictures with Titan wearing her Halloween bandana next to it
• Putting it on the porch so our house doesn't look boring like it does every year

But NOOOOO. We were "running late" and we'd "come back later."

We're never coming back later. We know this. Titan knows this. Even the goldfish probably knows this.

Now Emma's friend has THREE pumpkins from The Hungry Puppy. THREE. And we have ZERO.

Titan's been sad all day. She keeps looking at the empty spot on the porch where the pumpkin should be. It's heartbreaking.

Mom says we can "buy one at the grocery store" but that's not the POINT. The Hungry Puppy one was FREE. And it would've been special. And Titan would've been happy.

We're staging a protest. We're eating dinner in silence. We're making her feel bad.

She deserves it.

How The Hungry Puppy Saved the Day

By 5:30 PM, the guilt was eating me alive. The kids were giving me the silent treatment. Titan was sleeping in Emma's room. My husband kept saying, "You know, we COULD have just stopped..."

I cracked.

I called The Hungry Puppy. "Hi, um, I drove past earlier and saw the free pumpkin sign, and I didn't stop, and now my entire family hates me including my dog, and I know you're probably closed but—"

"We're open until 7:00!" the cheerful voice said. "And we still have pumpkins! Bring the family!"

I rounded up the kids and Titan (who suddenly forgave me the SECOND she heard "Hungry Puppy"). We piled into the car and drove back.

When we walked in, the staff greeted Titan by name and immediately gave her free treats. The kids got to each pick out the PERFECT pumpkin—beautiful ones that were way better than anything we would've bought at the grocery store, they were so cute.

But here's where The Hungry Puppy really came through:

The staff told us about their free local delivery and Curbside Pickup service. "Next time you're running late, just call us! We'll deliver the pumpkin right to your door. You don't have to choose between your schedule and family fun."

They also mentioned they were doing fun fall events, like a pumpkin patch, paw painting, and costume contest!

The kids were thrilled. Titan was wagging so hard she knocked over a display (the staff laughed and said it happens all the time). My husband took a picture of all of us with our pumpkin in front of the store.

On the way home, Jake said, "Mom, you're forgiven."

Emma added, "But next time, just stop."

Titan, sitting in the back with her new treats and her pumpkin (yes, she thinks it's HER pumpkin now), looked at me with pure contentment.

That night, we painted the pumpkins together. Titan supervised. We roasted the seeds. We took approximately 47 pictures. We put them on the porch, and they looked PERFECT.

And the next morning, I signed up for The Hungry Puppy's free local delivery service, because I'm never making that mistake again.

The Lesson

Sometimes the "free" thing isn't just about saving money—it's about the experience, the memories, and not disappointing your dog (and kids, but mostly your dog).

The Hungry Puppy didn't just give us a pumpkin for each kid. They gave us a second chance, a family memory, and the knowledge that next time life gets hectic, they'll bring the fun right to our door.

Titan has forgiven me. The kids have forgiven me. And our porch looks amazing.

All because The Hungry Puppy understands that sometimes, you really DO need that free pumpkin.