The popular phrase “Happiness is a warm puppy” was coined in the Peanuts comic strip by Charles Schulz, who once said, “What is more happy than a little kid putting his arms around a warm puppy? If that isn’t happiness, I don’t know what is.”
North Dakota winters, with their short daylight hours, severe weather, holidays, school closings, travel challenges, and isolation, can be a source of distress for many people. Early darkness can worsen mood and anxiety problems. Financial stress, family tension, and substance misuse around the holidays can increase domestic violence. The State Highway Patrol says it tends to respond to more mental health–related calls during the winter months.
On this date in 1973, a happy puppy tale warmed the heart of winter. The lucky puppy owners were interviewed by the Wahpeton Daily News for an “authentic, believe-it-or-not” feel-good story.
Mr. and Mrs. Braaten were returning to town from a trip and stopped at a rest area near Fargo. Each thought the other had put their puppy back in the car. Almost home, they realized the puppy was gone. Mrs. Braaten shed tears for days over the loss. Meanwhile, two college students, also returning to town, stopped at the same rest area to switch driving duties. There, they discovered a bewildered, shivering puppy. Because they lived in the Wahpeton college dorms, they brought the dog to another student’s apartment, hoping to return it to its owners on their next trip.
Mrs. Grenz, the friend’s landlord, was a dog breeder and trainer. She offered to care for the tired, hungry puppy, which soon curled up, warm and content. In conversation with Postmaster McAloney, Mrs. Grenz mentioned the puppy’s story, and he passed it along to his wife. Mrs. McAloney worked at the hospital, where she later struck up a conversation about dogs with Mrs. Braaten. When she learned about the lost puppy, Mrs. McAloney told her about Mrs. Grenz and her unexpected four-legged guest.
Could it be the same puppy? Mrs. Braaten called Mrs. Grenz and described the missing dog in detail. It was a match. Overjoyed, Mrs. Braaten wanted to thank the anonymous young men who had rescued her puppy and visited it often at the Grenz home but could not be contacted. Mrs. Grenz shook her head in amazement as she recalled the remarkable chain of coincidences that led to the happy reunion.
Dakota Datebook by Lise Erdrich
Sources:
- Charles M. Shultz Museum. https://schulzmuseum.org
- InForum, December 17, 2025. Advocates warn holiday stress can increase domestic violence.https://www.inforum.com/health/advocates-warn-holiday-stress-can-increase-domestic-violence
- BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) - Highway Patrol Responds to More Mental Health Crises During Winter. https://www.kfyrtv.com/2025/12/24/ndhp-responds-more-mental-health-crises-during-winter/
- Puppy, owners in happy reunion. The Daily News, Wahpeton, ND, February 23, 1973, Page 1
