Archived comment by Bean Stockgood:
A man went on a business trip and couldn't take his dog with him, so he got his brother to watch the dog for the week.

On the first day he was gone, he called his brother and asked how the dog was. "Oh, the dog's fine," his brother replied.

On the second day, he called again and got the same response, "The dog's fine."

On the third day, he called. "The dog's fine," his brother said again.

On the fourth day, he called. His brother said, "I have to admit that I was lying the whole time. Right after you left, the dog ran into the street and was hit by a car and died."

The businessman was angry. He said, "You shouldn't have said he was fine. On the first day, you should have said that he got on the roof and you had to get him down. On the second day when I called, you should have said he fell and was injured and you took him to the vet. On the third day, you should have said he was doing better, and today you should have said he finally died."

His brother agreed that it was what he should have said.

Changing the topic, the businessman asked, "So, how's Mom?"

His brother replied, "Oh, um, I think she's up on the roof. I really should go get her down."